[GPCA Updates] GPCA Advisory: CA STATE OF STATE RESPONSE: Governor should fire himself, or maybe his wealthy friends, says opposition party

[Green Party of California Updates]

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                News Advisory
        THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
              www.cagreens.org


URGENT NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, January 15, 2009
	

RESPONSE TO STATE-OF-THE-STATE
Governor should blame himself for budget crisis; he refuses
to accept ideas to help the state, and workers because it
would hurt his wealthy friends, Green Party asserts

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Schwarzenegger should look more at his failed "one-man
rule" than even the dysfunctional Legislature – and someone should remind
him that people are losing their homes and can't put food on the table
while he refuses to tax the super wealthy, said the Green Party of
California today in response to the State-of-the-State message.

"While the governor said he wants to punish the Legislature for not passing
a budget on time, he forgets that it's his veto over the will of the
majority, and his stubborn refusal to tax the super rich, which could raise
billions for the state, that is holding back real change and a solution to
the budget crisis," said Joe Feller, a member of the GPCA Coordinating
Council.

Greens said a simple way to raise tens of billions of dollars would be to
tax the wealthy – a move that GOP governors Reagan and Wilson willingly made.

"If we were to tax the upper 5-10 percent of our wealthiest citizens at the
same percentage as we do the poorer 5-10 percent, we would have a
manageable problem. But the governor today reaffirmed he would rather
continue to sacrifice the disabled, the sick and the very poorest in this
state. He won't tax his rich friends, but will raise sales taxes – a
regressive move that hurts those most in need," said Wes Rolley, a
California Green.

"There are other options, and they include supporting Green technologies
which provide jobs, and universal single payer healthcare, which would help
the people of California, and save us even more billions. But we don't see
this from this governor. All we heard today was more "he said, she said,"
added Rolley.

"The Green Party is amazed the Legislature has accepted a pay raise,
refuses to trim its own staff and continues to accept per diem payments
even when lawmakers are not in Sacramento. Again, like the governor, they
act as if they are not like the rest of us, including state workers who are
being asked to ‘sacrifice' by forced furloughs and pay cuts," said Rolley.