California’s budget crisis of epic proportion was not caused by our kids and their schools. The problem is not the fault of low income families or the disable and senior citizen.

Nor was the problem caused by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a public service you can hear a speech given by Governor Schwarzenegger , a speech that does not seem to give the impression that the governor would ever create such a budget proposal that looks like low income families and our kids are going to suffer the worst along with the disable and senior citizens.

So why does it appear that these groups of Californians may suffer the most and it is none of their doing. As I understand there are proposals that may add up into the billions of dollars in cuts that look like they might be aimed at the people that can least afford it, why?

California’s budget crisis of epic proportions was not caused by our kids and schools. The problem is not the fault of low income families, the disabled or senior citizens.

Nor was the problem caused by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a public service you can hear a speech given by Governor Schwarzenegger. The speech seems to give the impression that the governor would never create a budget proposal that would harm our kids, low income families, the disabled or senior citizens. In the speech he states he “will not forget my oath and I will not forget you.”

So why does it appear that these groups of Californians may suffer the most through no fault of their own? As I understand it, there are proposals that add up into the billions of dollars in cuts. These cuts are aimed at the people that can least afford it, why?

So who is responsible for these cuts and why?

The California State legislature sure looks like a good candidate for it when one takes a closer look.

California’s Fiscal Woes Largely Of Its Own Making by Los Angeles Times staff writer Evan Halper.

The article talks about how lawmakers are nowhere near agreement on how to patch a $15.2 billion dollar shortfall and goes on to talk about how every change in the budget threatens to cost someone big money. Special interests are very organized and ready to protect their turf. They have the ear of the lawmakers who as a result of term limits, constantly have their eye on the next office they will run for and are reluctant to rile their political patrons.

After what I experienced at the state capital it has become quite clear that the LA Times reporter is right on the money when he talks about what the lawmakers are most concerned about. This is why the legislature will never liquidate State Compensation Insurance Fund even if the general fund could receive as much as 20 billion dollars. The sale of State Fund wouldclear up the budget crisis without impacting our schools, low income families , disabled and senior citizens. These are the groups hardest hit by large budget cuts.

As a public service if I were able to address the state legislature I would ask the following questions:

1. If the tax codes are out of date, why isn’t action taken to correct them and do what is was necessary to bring in new tax codes?
2. Are there too many hands in the cookie jar? Who watches out for government waste and corruption? And please no passing the buck. If the legislature was doing a great job would there be a budget crisis???
3. Also where is all the tax money going? California is considered the 7th largest economy in the world. With such tax revenue where is all the money going??? Californians should be asking that question, after all it is their money and they should know how it is being used or misused as the case may be.
4. Do Californians really understand what the governor wants to do with the budget cuts? What about the governor’s passion for helping kids, which is well recognized and what about his speeches on how a good education is needed for getting ahead in life? How about the overwhelming need for more after school alternatives?
5. So what could be the reason for the governor to turn around and propose to take away more then a billion dollars from before and after school programs, and from career and technical classes and small class size programs? How is it is that Governor Schwarzenegger purposes to spend $358 million dollars less on special education? Does he feel this disadvantaged children are not worthy of an education due to some mental or physical impairments?

This is absolutely unbelievable because just last spring Schwarzenegger promised that 2008 would be the “year of education”, now some are calling these the deepest cuts to schools in California history.

A few months ago there was talk of liquating State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF), which could have put as much as 20 billion dollars in the general fund and would have pulled the state out of the budget crisis . It really comes as no surprise to me that the sale will not happen, as I have been told by more then one person on the inside that SCIF is considered a cash cow. The state legislature is now in the process of trying to bring more transparency to State Fund, which I guess means that more of their business is not conducted out of public view. After all SCIF is a state agency and a state agencies sole propose is to serve the public’s needs, and not benefit from abusing the rule of law or peoples constitutional rights, as in my case.

As the laws are changed in an effort to make State Fund more transparent the legislature needs to make sure that all State Fund’s litigation has an oversight by the California Department of Justice.( I believe the vast majority of SCIF’s litigation is against injured workers.) This would make sure there was no chance of a conflict of interest and that the rule of law was being followed and this would be a great oversight on State Funds operations. This move I am sure would cut way down on the number of lawsuits that State Fund finds it’s self in. Also, I believe there is a problem with SCIF’s litigation department. There appears to be no rhyme or reason, for a lack of better words, as to the methods that one might use in litigation of injury claim. No insult intended toward any state fund attorney, this is just my observation when looking at and following injury claims, my own claim included.

In the case of Mc Gregor V State Fund, State Fund paid out over 1.5 million dollars for withholding rehab benefits. In my case ,Nign v State Fund, it was fully investigated and accepted as an injury claim. Why inmy case was it acceptable to violate the rule of law and abuse the rights afforded to me under both California and the United States constitutions? SCIF damaged the integrity of the judicial system with absolutely no fear of being held accountable do to SCIF’s growing political power. This became very evident when Charles Savage, lead counsel for SCIF, presented falsehoods as truth, in writing, to a California state senator regarding my case.

Some folks that have seen the documentary, Almost Broken, the story of my struggle to receive justice, told me they can not understand why the governor and the State Attorney General have not taken action to see that State Fund is truly held accountable and I am compensated for abuse of my rights. To that question I can only say that I feel that I am being denied justice as a form of punishment because I went public to show the people of California that something is really wrong and in doing so became an advocate for injured workers and their families.

The lingering question is; why is it okay for a State Fund attorney to mis- lead a state senator about my case, do it in writing, and not a damn thing is done about it? SCIF even used the United States Postal Service to mail the letter to the senator. The senator was trying to get to the bottom of the fraud committed in the handling of my case. This is at least mail fraud in my opinion. All this just further looks like state officials don’t care about the rights of the injured or disabled worker. Maybe it is because we can no longer work and pay taxes?

I have been told by a secretary for a former attorney general that any evidence of wrong doing by State Fund will never reach the attorney general. This is what is happening with Governor Schwarzenegger. The governor never responded to the request of my congressman either.