Schwarzenegger to terminate health care benefits

http://www.sfexaminer.com/templates/story.cfm?displaystory=1&storyname=121903n_healthcare

Young moms and concerned doctors on Thursday attacked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's mooted health cuts, saying they could devastate local services for low income, immigrant groups.

The activists accused Schwarzenegger of hypocrisy for running on a campaign of expanding health care coverage for children, then promptly announcing $2 billion in health cuts over two years to help compensate for revenue lost after he repealed the vehicle license fee.

The cuts would hack 10 percent from Medi-Cal and freeze enrollment for all children in the Healthy Families program with separate caps for citizen and undocumented children.

Healthy Families is a scheme providing insurance for 677,000 children from low-income families throughout the state, and the proposed cuts could leave 130,000 children on an insurance waiting list in the first year, according to figures obtained from the state Department of Finance.

more...

n/t

It seems it might be since the cuts he is making by emergency executive order don't allow for cuts so deep unless he is cutting from several different programs...not enough info in the article to tell.

ON edit: It appears this is part of his exec order...5% from this year and 5% from next year on closer look...if I am correct then NO the dems can't block it..but I am sure they can make taxes for the ultra wealthy an issue while all of this cutting of social programs is noted.

Obviously, this is what they want.

And deserve.

The general public was so enchanted by Arnold - The Terminator and they voted to throw Gray Davis out regardless of the sheenanigans the rethugs pulled-off on the recall. So they have what they wanted and they should live with the consequence.

I live in Northern Ca S.F. Bay area ,most of this area and surrounding counties voted against the recall ! It was the star struck people of southern Ca. that gave us this gift. At a time when we needed a deep thinker, just like putting bush in the White House ,instead we end up with a monkey stinker !!

Nice to be rich and king of the hill.

"Arnold is a wonderful person." Arnie agreed.:eyes:

I was going to post this separately but here's as good a place as any.

<snip>

Dec. 18 - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced there will a mid-year budget reduction this year, taking millions out of the California state university system.

The cut will take $23 million out of the CSU, and more specifically, $1.5 million from Cal Poly's operating budget.<snip>

more....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3755030/

The irony is that my county helped put the Gropinator in power. I wonder how all those Republicans feel about him now? This has far reaching consequences across our state not just here.

mad at Davis for only modestly raising their fees...they are fucked now!

They have a lot of elections left in their lives. Better to wise up sooner than later.

They wanted to see the difference? Let them feel it.

Let the Hummer drivers chase down and run over the sick and disabled...since they do not have to pay car taxes and the sick and disabled are paying for their taxes...

LETS GET REAL AND LET THE HUMMER OWNERS JUST RUN OVER THE SICK AND DISABLED LETS ALL GET TO WATCH IT ON TV....WE ALL PREFER SUDDEN DEATH TO A SLOW DEATH OF SICKNESS AND DISABILITY!!!

"Schwarzenegger" is the name associated with what's being done to bring on the pain by his puppet-masters.

I just saw her on TVO (Canada) in a discussion forum...I thought her description was hilarious!!!.....

Arnold is not a miricle worker which is
what would be needed to solve California's
problems without pain. His charms and
charisma will do nothing to solve the
debt problem. His repug roots means he
will cut programs even more severly than
Davis would have. Californians wanted
Arnold....they got Arnold!

Taxes equals services.
High taxes equals many services.
Low taxes equals few services.
No taxes means you go to soup kitchens
or sell yourself to the rich for peanuts.

My best friend lives in California in a home
worth more than mine, yet she pays less than
half the taxes I do in Western N.C. I would
rather pay my taxes and have the services.

Great Medical benefits
Great Schools
Great Roads
Wonderful state services
Wonderful protection from fires.

Maybe they need to figure out where the taxes are going and then apply the money.

California government sucks, has sucked and will continue to suck as long as Californians want everything and aren't willing to take part in the government process.

We got what we deserved with Gray Davis and the whole energy thing and we'll get what we deserve from Ahnult.

But cutting spending might be a good thing. Cause the money we're spending now is not always being spend in the best way. And some folks do spend alot of money on taxes (state, sales, gas, etc.).

An increase in sales tax will do more.

Take away services to help poor folk, then up the tax they pay everytime they buy necessities.

Really clever.

Progressive thinking, that.

Kanary

Money to run the gov't is NOT made out of thin air, I'd rather pay a couple of cents more in sales tax than pay higher property taxes. What is your plan to fix California's economic problems?

Use the money to help the states in need of help ,which would probably be all of them ,since the fed goverment is now part of the problem ,instead of a answer to it !

Prop tax is a progressive tax--at least it is here. Big house? You pay more,Big ass mansion for the very rich--you pay a hell of alot more. You pay taxes on what YOU decide is the house for you.

Sales tax increase? Not progressive,everyone gets nailed for everything. Food,clothes,tires. Its hard to "cut back" on certain things hoping you'll lower your tax burden. Sales tax is the most unfair of all taxes.

David

It's a godsend for us . We make too much to qualify for
free Medical but to little to afford 300.00 a month
for insurance on our own with Healthy Families we
pay a lower premium for his insurance .

Children are most effected by gropenater's cuts :grr:

I hope there will be some answer to this for you.

If there was any justice, it would be only those who backed this clown who would get hit.

I will keep hoping....

Kanary

Yesterday's LA Times lead photo was of a group of Democratic Mayors clowning about with Arni..( To me the name Arni suggests it originates from some cartoon figure)..They were all happy that our cities and counties will not be sacked..Arni could not allow firefighters and police to be gutted. So these mayors present a united face with Arni all appreciative of his help.
Can't Democrats see the long term picture and see how all kinds of programs are being set up for the kill. Former Mayor Willie Brown is even on Arni's staff...It is digusting. Look for the long term picuture and inform Californian's what they have done to themselves.
He also promised primary education will not be sacked. That promise appears to be on the chopping block..Classroom size is already like 40 and growing. When we elected Davis we promised we would get it down to 30. Thousands of teachers were laid off last year.
Arni needs to be taken on and his programs made public..The guy is a fool..Liked what someone said...'You use maybe three times in a sentence, maybe he does not know what is going on.'
Long term I expect the people will realize what they have done to themselves and then the Democrats here will get some backbone.
Oh yes, yesterday LA photo--Showed former Democratic governor Jerry Brown and present day Oakland Mayor, yucking it up with Arni..Does Jerry have so little concern about the young students who will be shut out of the jr. college system and stuck in minimum wage jobs.

Brown threatened to start a recall right after the campaign. Schwartzennegger's camp recognized this and pulled him in...the game isn't over yet..Brown is quite a crafty maneuverer himself. I'm withholding judgement on this one as of yet.

He must be good!

talked about how dubya will save the day by giving millions to SF for homeless shelters. Ummm? Doesn't make sense.
Thats what repubs are all about, cut cut cut. Cut taxes, cut programs,
raise deficit and spend. Make any sense? I dont think so!

:kick: freekers out of office

So the sfexaminer thinks Healthy Families is a scheme? I guess if your wealthy, health care for the poor WOULD BE a scheme, seeing as its paid for by taxes and only the rich pay taxes...right? Moonbeam Jerry Brown and the others standing up there with Ahhnold do not understand what its like to live from payday to payday. Thats why its so easy for todays media to say Healthy Families is a scheme and get away with it, who will dare to disagree?

they have to hit their "bottom" before they realize that they HAVE TO CHANGE!

So, I'd say they're not at their bottom yet, but if Arnie keeps cutting then maybe they will be.

Like the former Maine governor said on Bill Moyers' NOW last night, people just don't connect paying taxes with the services and benefits they receive.

Of course, we can thank the right-wingers for that since they've demonized taxes for so long that people only think of taxes and don't think of what they pay for.

They just move to other states, and do the same there.

And on and on it goes.......

Kanary

a lot of money to beat this creep.

The whole country has been on a "we hate government, we just want all the services it provides, we can accomplish this by cutting services to Them instead" binge for twenty-five years now. We still haven't hit bottom, so keep on doing the same thing (casting votes for whoever promises the least government and the lowest taxes, having a knee-jerk reaction to the word "liberal," etc., etc.) year after year.

When we hit bottom, it's going to be an awful big thud.

The problem is that, although it may be true that an addict has to hit bottom before they realize they have to change, for a lot of them, that moment comes too late for them to be able to change...their bodies are too worn down, and their circumstances too tenuous to allow them to survive. I fear it may be true for this country as well: by the time we realize the error of our laissez-faire ways, there may well be a new feudalism in place, with the upper-class and the corporate overlords safely ensconced behind the walls of their gate-guarded communities, with well-trained and -armed private militias to protect them from our anger (in the unlikely event that our own military and police aren't ready and willing to do the job themselves).

:-(

What you say about too late to be able to turn it around is probably quite accurate.

What's also true about this "hitting bottom" is that by the time the middle class bottoms out, the poor will have already died. That's a lot of deaths.

I guess I don't even mind too much about the middle class anymore.... they aren't gonna get it until it hits them. But I *do* mind that others will pay the price for their folly.

I think it's time to rewatch or reread "Les Miz"

Kanary

I didn't vote for the recall and I didn't vote for ARNOLD!

He's got to be a real looney if he thinks he'll be a popular attraction anymore. Unless, of course, he revises the roles made popular by the NRA Heston fellow.

the election. Tell us why you voted for a republican? Knowing that EVERY republican shares republican ideology and that's to fuck over the poor and middle class, to put it quickly and bluntly.

All republicans (including Bush, as he's doing it again for 2004) pretend to be moderates during campaigning and say they are for health care, education, protecting the environment, etc. but every republican is against ALL of these programs. They hate the American people (we are the government) telling them what to do, restrictions, regulations etc.

Always have ALWAYS wil be. It's republican ideology to spend tax money on anything but them, in the forms of tax give-aways, subsidies and other corporate welfare.

So ALL you who voted for Arnold the republican, (and there were many) step forward and tell us why.

...who voted for Arnold, I doubt there were any DUers. The sentiment about him was pretty consistent around here.

(yes, almost, daily) and every fucking night (for sure)...are you for real?

FUCK! Now the "sentiment" is against Arnold...FUCK, were you here just two month's ago?

Man, this is how I lose it...WHAT????

thought it was time for christmas. I wonder what the response would have been if davis had tried to balance the budget like this. what do you guy's think the media would be saying about davis right now.

Everything that's been happening since 2000 proves this more and more.

I wish they'd choke on their filthy inhuman unchristian quest for money. Choke and die slowly. In their quest, they're choking and killing the rest of society. They deserve no less in return.

</unfettered emotion>

Republicans are not only a threat to the continuation of our society in terms of upholding the Constitution, they are threatening what little many people have. They are creating an imbalance and truly are hurting people. Our society cannot continue as highly skewed as it is. Things will break. People will eventually revolt, or do the corporate bootlickers think there will be mass-suicide amongst the poor/working classes?

</soapbox>

"do the corporate bootlickers think there will be mass-suicide amongst the poor/working classes?"

People will eventually revolt, or do the corporate bootlickers think there will be mass-suicide amongst the poor/working classes?

No, but all the revolutionary rhetoric in the world will do no good when the other side has almost all the firepower.

for they did not vote...

see now it has begun not only in this state but other's and what once began as a way to help poor families. Health Care that is will become a thing of the past. How sad, How dispicable, How republican.

Arnie's gonna get his. He's already had heart surgery, and by some accounts liver surgery. He sold his soul to Lucifer and ingested steroids for years during his bodybuilding days. His demise will not be pretty.

which enables him to cut whatever the hell he feels like without any argument from the state legislature.

Yeah, my fellow citizens of Cully-fornia voted for this?

I still don't think we voted for this. Oh, we were TOLD we voted for this, but I don't believe it.

I still haven't seen the proof. Has anyone?

He's just doing what his buddies in the GOP tell him to do!

The "sad" thing (and, yes, I'm using that term in the ironic sense) is that Arnie will be required to fall on the Mighty Phallic Republican Sword in the near future, probably in response to another energy crisis, bogus or otherwise. The base Republican base does not like him, and all his attempts to court them will fail. He has not yet learned that the Republican activists and faithful turn on their own for the even the smallest of imagined sins -- "sins" as only the Republican Rectal Right defines them.

I still predict that he will Repent and become a Democrat, but not until he is vilified to an even greater degree than Gray Davis was. He's going to go under like a Russian powerlifter staggering under a 250 kg barbell with a knee or a spinal blow-out.

Hasta Problemo.

--bkl