Runner responds to Governor’s State of the State address
By Anonymous — Monday, January 11th, 2010
Senator George Runner Serving the 17th District which incorporates portions of the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Ventura and Kern counties. SACRAMENTO – Sen. George Runner (R-Antelope Valley) today issued the following statements in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s annual State of the State address: On Job creation: “The Governor must keep in mind that government does not create jobs; small business owners and entrepreneurs do.” On Prison spending “When the Governor compared prison spending to higher education spending, he fudged the numbers. California budgeted $9.8 billion on prisons this year, while budgeting $13 billion on higher education – a figure that does not include private grant funds. Furthermore, if we really want to significantly reduce prison spending, removing the federal receiver is the first step we should take.” On seeking federal aide: “I would be encouraged to see an easing of federal payroll tax rules to encourage job growth in California.” On the Governor’s Tax Commission: “The Legislature needs to examine the tax structure, but creating a hidden tax on businesses is not the answer. In fact, creating more hurdles for California business and entrepreneurs would be a death knell to our already ailing economy. Whatever we do, we must avoid creating more obstacles for job creation.” On pension reform: “We should honor the pension programs we have in place but we should reform the plans of future state employees – keeping in mind that people live and work longer. If we don’t work together now, California is going to be in a world of hurt in the next decade." |