Budget from Hell Coming Back

Before Gov. Brown delivered his budget proposal in early January, it was speculated that he would follow a “Budget from Hell” strategy. Under that approach, he would have presented a budget on the assumption that no tax extensions were approved. Having seen Hell, voters would (presumably) gratefully vote for the tax extensions as the path out of Hell.

In the end, however, he did not follow that approach. Instead, his budget was premised on the tax extensions being approved. When asked, he said that he did not believe in scare tactics – or at least he did not think scare tactics would work.

Even with the actual budget proposal made by the governor, UC takes a big hit. So you can imagine what the outcome would be for UC in a Budget from Hell with no tax extensions.

It appears, however, that it will not be left to your imagination. You can read the excerpt below from today’s Sacramento Bee:

Brown’s Countdown, Day 25: Democrats seek list of deeper state cuts if taxes are not extended Kevin Yamamura, 2-3-11 Democrats may seek to tie deep cuts in funding for schools and public safety directly to tax proposals at the ballot, a move that would raise the stakes of a potential June special election. Gov. Jerry Brown has been coy about what specific cuts he would pursue if he could not persuade lawmakers and voters to extend higher taxes over five years. But Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said Wednesday it is important for voters to know exactly what would happen if they reject additional taxes. …Steinberg’s caucus has asked the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office to specify what additional cuts would be needed if the taxes fell through… Letting the analyst make the list also allows Brown and lawmakers to pin the cut list on a nonpartisan voice – one that likely is not viewed as negatively as their own – during a campaign for tax extensions. Steinberg said Democrats are weighing the possibility of passing an entire budget that relies mostly on cuts, then giving voters the opportunity to restore programs with taxes in June…

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If you lack imagination:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UbqZ_oN5do]