The discussion was lively Thursday, as the election wrap-up and
policy forum met to discuss issues ranging from the propositions
that faced Californians on “Super Tuesday” to John
Kerry and his bid to become the 44th president.
Michael Dukakis, former presidential candidate and visiting
professor, added a great deal of insight to the forum, commenting
on the presidential election and discussing the California
budget.
Dukakis said of the election, “This is going to be a very
tough, very competitive, not-very-nice contest, but that’s
politics.”
Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts and the front-runner in the
Democratic presidential primary, served as lieutenant governor of
Massachusetts from 1983-1985, when Dukakis was governor of the
state.
When talking about Kerry picking a running mate, Dukakis said,
“You want to do it thoughtfully, you want to take time and it
involves putting together a list of prospects … bringing it down
to a final four or five. This is a very important decision, … and
the American people watch this very carefully.
“This is the first really presidential decision a
candidate makes. The first and most important criterion is to make
sure the person you pick could be a good president.”
Other issues discussed were the propositions and how the outcome
of the various measures will affect California.
Forum members included Dukakis, Richard Katz, a former member of
the California State Assembly, Daniel Mitchell, professor of Policy
Studies and Management, and Steve Olsen, UCLA vice chancellor of
finance and budget.
The wrap-up discussion was attended by UCLA students and
community members, and there was a general Q&A session
following the statements by forum members.
Proposition 56, the measure that would have lowered the
percentage of the vote required to pass budget-related and tax
proposals in the state Legislature from a two-thirds majority to 55
percent, was a topic of discussion.
Katz was in favor of the proposition, saying under current
legislative rules, a vocal minority is able to “hold a
majority and the governor hostage.”
Had Proposition 56 passed, the Democrats who control the state
Legislature would not have had anyone to blame but themselves, said
Olsen.
The panel also discussed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
political victory with the electorate’s overwhelming approval
of Proposition 57, the $15 billion bailout bond that Schwarzenegger
threw his political clout behind.
“Even though … people don’t have more money to
spend, people are feeling better about themselves, they are feeling
better about the state, most of which is attributable to
Arnold’s 200-megawatt smile. If it were not for that, those
bonds would not have passed,” said Katz.
The panel painted a grim picture for next year’s budget.
More cuts are expected, which could be devastating given the amount
of spending that has already been slashed from the budget. Many are
concerned that further budget cuts will inevitably lead to a
reduction of funding for the University of California.
Discussing education and the economy, Dukakis said, “If
you’re going to build an economic future for California, it
needs a first-class UC system.”
Concerned with the state’s ability to pay for higher
education, Dukakis added, “You have hundreds of thousands of
kids that are in school. … How are you going to pay for
that?”