Comments on: Help Stop Further State Cuts to Transit Operations http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/15/help-stop-further-state-cuts-to-transit-operations/ Covering Los Angeles's livable streets movement Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Alek F http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/15/help-stop-further-state-cuts-to-transit-operations/comment-page-1/#comment-6332 Alek F Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:43:05 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2272#comment-6332 I think, the fundamental problem lies not in our State budget (although it's certainly messed-up as well), but in our Federal funding! Federal government need to launch their "Stimulus package" towards public transportation, especially for California! They need to "bailout" our California budget deficit!! I see that as the only solution, and is something that will prevent huge cuts everywhere. It's time for our government to STOP paying for moneymaking giants like Automakers (who are, sorry to say, losing business anyway), but to START paying for improving our mobility options! Mr. Obama, please give us our public transportation money that we deserve!! I think,
the fundamental problem lies not in our State budget (although it’s certainly messed-up as well), but in our Federal funding!
Federal government need to launch their “Stimulus package” towards public transportation, especially for California! They need to “bailout” our California budget deficit!! I see that as the only solution, and is something that will prevent huge cuts everywhere. It’s time for our government to STOP paying for moneymaking giants like Automakers (who are, sorry to say, losing business anyway), but to START paying for improving our mobility options! Mr. Obama, please give us our public transportation money that we deserve!!

]]> By: DJB http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/15/help-stop-further-state-cuts-to-transit-operations/comment-page-1/#comment-6317 DJB Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:55:02 +0000 http://la.streetsblog.org/?p=2272#comment-6317 As much as I hate to see transit cuts, we have to recognize that this situation is made inevitable by Prop. 13's requirement that most tax increases come by a 2/3 vote. If the cuts don't come from here, they will come from another worthy program. The governor doesn't have the luxury of thinking about just one issue, and neither should we. If I were king of California I'd solve this budget problem by raising income taxes progressively, raising gasoline taxes modestly and establishing a better rainy day fund, but since that's not the case, we have to realize that the only way to secure our publicly-funded aspirations is to reform California's budget process, which has been chronically dysfunctional for at least a decade largely because it takes a super-majority vote to fund the public services we need. As much as I hate to see transit cuts, we have to recognize that this situation is made inevitable by Prop. 13′s requirement that most tax increases come by a 2/3 vote.

If the cuts don’t come from here, they will come from another worthy program. The governor doesn’t have the luxury of thinking about just one issue, and neither should we.

If I were king of California I’d solve this budget problem by raising income taxes progressively, raising gasoline taxes modestly and establishing a better rainy day fund, but since that’s not the case, we have to realize that the only way to secure our publicly-funded aspirations is to reform California’s budget process, which has been chronically dysfunctional for at least a decade largely because it takes a super-majority vote to fund the public services we need.

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