Kalifornia No More?

Posted: 22 May 2009 11:51 AM PDT

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to completely eliminate California’s welfare program for families, medical insurance for low-income children and Cal-Grants cash assistance to college and university students.

The proposals to sharply scale back the assistance that California provides to its residents came in testimony by Schwarzenegger’s administration this afternoon at a joint legislative budget committee hearing. They followed comments by the Governator earlier today that he would be withdrawing a proposal to help balance the budget with billions of dollars of borrowing and replacing it with program reductions. He’s going all-in instead. Good for him. I see no other way to fix the problem, although there will be some truly needy people in trouble. Illegal immigrants, a HUGE part of the problem, are already pouring out of the state.

Ahhnald would completely reshape the state’s social service network, transforming California from one of the country’s most generous states to one of the most tightfisted. “No More Girly-Men.” His proposals are intended to help close a budget deficit estimated at $21.3 BILLION.