Media Uses Republican Frame in Cheering State Budget

Anyone reading daily newspapers last week would think California has become the best of all possible worlds. A $7.5 billion jump in state revenues has led the Governor to propose increased spending on schools, prisons, health care, and infrastructure improvements, leading the media and Republicans to question any need to generate more money by raising taxes on millionaires or closing corporate loopholes. Yet amidst what the San Francisco Chronicle describes as a “crowd pleasing” budget, California continues to deny cost of living increases to the aged and disabled, hundreds of thousands are homeless due to a lack of state housing money, affordable housing for working families is largely a pipe dream, health care facilities in urban centers are overwhelmed, the minimum wage is grossly inadequate, millions lack health coverage, facilities for the acute mentally ill are so insufficient that many are left to walk city streets), public transit systems are at the breaking point, tuition at state universities is at record levels, and even with the increased school spending California remains well below the per pupil national spending average. The media seems to have forgotten that Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to greatly improve California, not make us thrilled with maintaining an inadequate status quo.