Letter to the Editor - RE: "Freeze Spending" Editorial of 3/11/2008

By Senator Mark Wyland, as printed in the San Diego Union-Tribune on March 17, 2008

The recent editorial “Freeze Spending” (3/11/2008) raises some interesting and valid points about California’s out-of-control spending spree. Calling for a spending freeze—as the editorial suggests—would help ease our budget pain for now, but it won’t be the solution that puts an end to the state’s long-term budget crisis, and that’s what we’re looking for.

In times of budget difficulty, the classic liberal knee-jerk reaction is to raise taxes on hard-working California families. In fact, this week Democrats proposed another tax increase. This time, when gas prices are already soaring through the roof, it’s a 6 percent hike on all oil produced in California, resulting in even higher prices as the pump, as if Californians aren’t paying enough for gas already. Let me be clear: raising taxes will not solve the budget crisis. We need to reform our entire budget system if the state expects to make serious headway in tackling the deficit. With that commitment in mind, I’ve introduced a Budget Reform Package this year in the Legislature.

As part of my Budget Reform Package, I believe the state must massively beef-up the current state auditing system. Just like families “audit” their paychecks every month and decide what expenses are affordable and what has to go, by intensely auditing state programs, legislators can make more informed and fiscally sound budget decisions. Additionally, my legislation establishes a two-year budget system that would allow the Legislature in a two year session to spend one year devoted to legislation and the other year devoted entirely to the budget that will synchronize spending with the performance audits.

It’s clear that the Legislature needs outside-the-box ideas to put an end to this budget mess once and for all. By focusing on budget reform, accountability and respect for the taxpayers’ dollar, I believe Republican lawmakers will have their solutions rightfully considered like they should be.