February 16, 2005
Sacramento Union?"Dems Demand Arnold Force Feds to Pay Up"
"“When it comes to getting our fair share of federal funds for California, I believe that Democrats and Republicans must be united in purpose and united in practice.” Núñez said. “As we ask the federal government to pay Californians our fair share, we should speak with one, non-partisan voice. But Democrats have to be honest. Even though this is a bi-partisan effort, it’s the governor’s ties to the Republicans who run Congress and the White House that are our best hope.” Democrats claim California, which is dealing with a $9.1 billion deficit, has been a “donor” state since 1986. According to the non-partisan Tax Foundation, the state receives about 79 cents back for every dollar sent to Washington, an imbalance of about $50 billion. Laird said its time for Schwarzenegger to act as the “Collectinator” and demand money from the federal government to terminate California’s budget deficit."
