Features
Bustamante: Could He Be Worse than Davis?
by Bob Sensenbrenner
Senior News Staff

Cruz Bustamante is the ultimate political hack. Unfortuantely for California, he isn't even a good political hack. Bustamante served in the Assembly, as Speaker of the Assembly, and then was elected to serve a Lieutenant Governor for Gray Davis. Since California does not run on a combined ticket for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, there is a certain degree of enmity between Gray Davis and Cruz Bustamante. However, let there be no equivocating, Bustamante is a through and through liberal.

Bustamante panders to the Latino community. He has in the past suggested that his assembly district "needed" illegal immigration. He also, if elected, would give undocumented workers (i.e. illegal immigrants) all basic government services. This includes the same rights to attend the University of California system (at in-state tuition rates). Bustamante claims credit for repudiating the will of California's voters and leading the charge to overturn Proposition 187. Coupled with these lamentable parts of his record are his ties with the organization entitled MEChA, which advocates separatism for Latino students and the cession of the formerly-Mexican states of the union. His efforts are so laudable that Tom Metzger, the former Grand Wizard of the California KKK, has endorsed Bustamante for governor. Bustamante has consistently refused to disavow any support or links with MEChA from his past. Instead he solidly retains separatist ideals that work to divide, not unite, the people of California and the United States.

Bustamante is also extremely hypocritical in his 'Tough Love for California' budget proposal. He claims that if the legislature does not pass his proposal, he will put it to a referendum of the voters, but is widely known for his criticism of the cost of the recall election. Both of these are expensive statewide elections; however, according to Bustamante, election expenses are perfectly acceptable if he needs one in order to pass his budget and completely unacceptable if the people of California need a special election in order to remove a governor for gross mismanagement. The double standard the Bustamante seeks to create is short-sighted, purely political, and entirely hypocritical. If Bustamante really wanted what's best for California, he would be lining up with the other candidates in calling for Gray Davis's resignation, rather than being a sycophant who truly wants Davis removed from office, but only on the condition that he can become the replacement.

Bustamante is also tarnished by the same special interest favors that plagued the Davis administration. While prison guards were the favorite patrons of the soon-to-be-ex governor, Bustamante has used inventive accounting and campaign donations from Indian tribes in his quest for California's highest office. Millions of dollars are being spent by the tribes in donations and direct media buys by the tribes to advocate voting no on recall (ostensibly Bustamante's position) and yes for Cruz Bustamante. Furthermore, Cruz has illegally transferred funds between campaign committees in order to try to circumvent the campaign finance laws. He represents the installed bureaucracy in Sacramento that is disengaged from voters and has long since sold out to the special interests.

The worst thing that could happen for businesses is the election of Bustamante. A proponent of universal health care, the astronomical costs of conducting business in California will not decline according to Bustamante's plan. His plan for the budget includes $8 billion in tax hikes on California businesses and residences. On the contrary, he said in the recent debate that California's budget problems were caused by having spent too much. His solution is disingenuous and dangerous. It would exacerbate the already precarious economic situation in California. With states boasting much lower tax rates bordering California (including Nevada which has no state income tax), the flight of businesses and individuals would increase from its already prodigious rate. Economically, Bustamante also shows his true liberal roots.

Bustamante as governor could perhaps be even worse than Davis. Davis at least pretended to follow a 'Third Way' as a Democrat, instead of being the typical separatist tax and spend liberal that Bustamante is through every statement that he's made. It's time for California to have a 'Gray'out and Cruz by Bustamante to find a good governor, one that will return fiscal responsibility to Sacramento.