Fox Business talk-show host Stuart Varney grilled Assembly Speaker Karen Bass today about California's budget crisis and pressed her about the push for more federal money, spending and pensions.
Here are some bits of the interview, which you can view by clicking the video link above, that State Worker blog users will find particularly interesting:
STUART VARNEY: When you get back to California you need to come up with a plan that somehow fixes this deficit. I will ask clearly are you in favor of any pay freeze for state employees? Are you in favor of looking at the pensions California is currently paying its former government workers? (talking over each other)
VARNEY: You have got to get at this.
SPEAKER BASS: Exactly.
VARNEY: Are you in favor of a pay freeze? Are you in favor of doing something about those lavish pensions? Are you in favor of lifting environmental rules and regulations which are killing business?
BASS: I think we have to put everything on the table. Over the last couple of years we've had a deficit totaling 60 billion dollars. ... Everything has to be on the table.
VARNEY: On the table?
BASS: That's right.
VARNEY: On the table. When we say on the table I am talking about a serious interruption of the flow of money to your pensions for state government pensions. Are you prepared to counter that? Because frankly you are in such a hole that you have to take truly drastic action over and above what you've taken already.
BASS: And let me tell you, we have absolutely taken drastic action and we are going to continue...
VARNEY: Ms. Bass, I am going to ask you a fundamental question. Are you prepared to change course? Change policy course away from much more spending and away from higher taxes and get to much lower taxes and cutting spending? Are you prepared to change direction?
BASS: We are absolutely prepared. As a matter fact, in the next couple weeks you will see we are going to roll out a comprehensive reform package stay tuned. I think you'll see big differences.
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