For the time being, God’s moral standard of “do not steal” is winning in Sacramento. Your calls and emails and votes against higher taxes, fees, and borrowing are being heard.

But you must keep up the pressure. Some “conservative” politicians could fold unless they hear from you!

It’s all coming to a head, with floor sessions scheduled tonight and every night following, if necessary, to close the the burgeoning $24 billion budget deficit.

The good news is, so far, not one Republican has sold out on taxes, fees, or borrowing. More good news is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is embracing conservative reforms. Read more and see how SaveCalifornia.com proposes to annually eliminate tens of billions of dollars in government waste.

For example, on Friday, Senate Republicans unanimously rejected a three-bill package that would have raised the fees on vehicles and property insurance and resulted in a greater percentage of taxes being withheld from your paycheck.

The bad news is that the Democrats, who hold the majority of legislative seats, want more taxes, fees and borrowing, as usual.

From Associated Press: Democrats have countered with $11 billion in spending cuts and $2 billion in higher taxes on oil drilling and tobacco. Their plan also relies on filling the hole with $5 billion in fees and accelerated revenue through earlier collection of personal and corporate income taxes, and $5 billion in other solutions. One of their provisions is to defer state employee paychecks by one day so about $1.2 billion would be counted in the next fiscal year, which has been criticized by some as a gimmick.

To pursue their tax-and-spending ways, the Democrats are desperately seeking six Republicans to join them (they need two in the Senate and four in the Assembly) to achieve the two-thirds legislative majority required to increase taxes.

Yet so far, none of the six Republicans who raised taxes and fees back in February are repeating their folly. California voters’ rejection of higher taxes, fees, and borrowing on May 19 was a very beneficial rebuke.

Your phone calls are helping too. For example, even Republican Abel Maldonado, who last month said he was open to more taxes, fees, and borrowing, voted “no” last week on various big-government proposals.
 
The voice of principled Californians is needed now, to speak “truth and consequences” to the ears of Schwarzenegger and your legislators. To eliminate waste and avoid more “stealing,” you must call and email Sacramento now.

Click here to send a pre-written email message and for the best numbers to Sacramento decisionmakers

Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
— John the Baptist in Luke 3:12-14 NIV

Read Governor Schwarzenegger’s address to California legislators Tuesday morning

The state’s budget deficit is monstrous and growing. This mess, of course, is due to foolish government overspending, largely at the behest of gluttonous government employee unions. Without drastic action, by this time next year, California state government will be $24 billion in the hole. That’s nearly half of what state government spent to operate 20 years ago.

A chronic addiction to runaway, extravagant spending has tripled the state’s budget from $51.4 billion in 1990 to $144.5 billion in 2008. Remember, all this time, Democrats have been the majority party in the California Legislature, except for one year, 1996, when Republicans briefly controlled the State Assembly.

Despite these uncharted waters, SaveCalifornia.com is seeing the usual kind of political prostitution we’re used to from Democrat legislators. Incredibly, beholden to the government employee unions, Democrat caucus leaders say that more taxes and fee hikes are still on the table for consideration.

Meanwhile, the unions and other entities that depend on taxpayer funds — literally everyone at the government feeding trough — are gearing up for a major war to protect “their funds.” They’ve long forgotten whose money it is.

We haven’t yet seen Schwarzenegger do what he’s never done before — promise to veto tax hikes and borrowing schemes. Will he take a firm stand when he speaks today to a joint session of the California Legislature? The Governor signs or vetoes spending packages. He holds the bulk of the power to change government’s gluttonous appetitite — if he chooses to persevere and do what’s right.

But more than anything, SaveCalifornia.com believes it’s up to principled Californians to tell Sacramento what to do. If you helped to defeat Sacramento’s tax-and-borrow schemes in the last month’s election, you have the right and obligation to speak up now. 

 Take immediate action with our prewritten email message and phone numbers to Sacramento.