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Dateline Sacramento (6/11/09)


Dateline Sacramento
News with a View from the California Capitol
June 11, 2009
 
Budget Debate Heats Up: Consolidate or Eliminate?
As the July deadline to remedy the state’s projected $25 billion deficit approaches, tensions between the legislators, special interest groups, and the public are truly heating up. In the past week, mayors of California’s cities met with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and members of the Legislature, expressing their considerable displeasure with the Governor’s attempts to borrow from cities and counties. Further raising the mayors’ displeasure were plans to shift additional social service responsibilities to local funding. They warned that the proposed funding cuts to local government would result in layoffs of police and fire service providers and force greater cuts in other “vital” social services.
While conflicts between state and local government are common with regular fights over funding, conflicts between Democratic leaders and unions are rarely public. With the defeat of the May 19 Special Election budget measures, Democrats are reluctant to attempt to raise taxes, while unions are pressing for tax increases to offset proposed cuts. These traditional allies are struggling to find agreement as many unions believe their members are being “thrown under the bus,” and legislators discuss cutting specific state pension programs without negotiating for more taxes.
One union – committed to compelling the state to include tax increases as part of the budget solutions – has dedicated $1 million for television advertising that promotes new taxes on citizens.
Democratic leaders are likewise expressing frustration with unions because they believe union leaders are “ignoring the reality of an angry public, a sour economy and a state government approaching insolvency.” They further stress the need for quick solutions, but moving too quickly would preclude the potential to gain necessary Republican support for tax increases.
While legislators appear resigned to accept many of the Governor’s proposals, the process of scrutiny is intensifying over the Governor’s program consolidation and elimination recommendations. For instance, the proposed elimination of the state’s CalWorks program has brought outrage from members of the Budget Conference Committee, who oppose scrapping the program. During Wednesday’s hearings, members of the Committee did not hide their anger with the Governor’s budget representatives, and refused to approve several of Governor Schwarzenegger’s recommendations. 
The Committee will continue its work over the next few weeks, seeking consensus as the July deadline looms.
UCLA student’s religious liberty challenged…
May and June traditionally are joyous times for high school and college graduates and their families. As graduates close a chapter of their lives and look toward new goals, many celebrations include recognition of family and faith support. However, each year Christian students encounter challenges of censorship from the “free” expression of their faith in Jesus Christ and God’s help in academic achievement. This year is no exception. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a professor attempted to prohibit Christina Popa, a graduating student, from saying “I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” in her graduation statement. The professor justified her stance by stating that the expression of “Jesus” may violate the separation of church and state doctrine or offend those in attendance.
After public outcry, UCLA ultimately overruled the professor and permitted the student to freely express her gratitude to Jesus as her personal right. While we can be grateful that the University re-affirmed Christina’s rights, we should be concerned that our public universities continue to re-affirm the false belief that the “separation of church and state doctrine” is contained in the United States Constitution. 
The Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This clause clarifies that government cannot prohibit religious expression. While some hold that “separation of church and state” is housed within the U.S. Constitution, the term actually finds its roots in a letter to the Danbury Connecticut Baptist Association in 1802 by President Thomas Jefferson. In the letter, Jefferson responds to concerns raised by the Danbury Baptist Association, attempting to assuage the group’s concern by referring to the language of the Establishment Clause as a protection of the church from the powers of the state.
 
Baptist Convention Takes a Strong Stand for Children…
After years of debate, conflict, and evaluation, the Southern Baptist Convention is encouraging parents to keep their children out of “government-run” schools. Initially, efforts by members of the Convention to encourage Christians to remove their children from public schools and enroll them in Christian schools were met with intense opposition. However, Dr Morris H. Chapman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee, has recently renewed efforts to lay the foundation for an “exit strategy” for Christians to leave public education. 
Citing the increase in the amount of anti-Christian teaching within government schools as a primary motivation, Dr. Chapman is calling for greater expansion of Christian primary and secondary schools. He notes that “Kingdom schools” would be a welcomed alternative in addressing the societal chaos, which includes broken families and failing students, increased dropout rates and “alarming rates of crime, sexually transmitted diseases and out-of-wedlock births,” that too many communities face.
In an effort to expand Christian education, Dr. Chapman calls on every local Southern Baptist Association to create new schools. While he states that the focus of this endeavor should not be to abandon public schools, he explains the enormity of the need for children “…to be fortified with strong biblical precepts as well as history, grammar, literature, civics, math and science.” Read more
 
Local links
SANTA ROSA – A battle over sex education is under way in Sonoma County, pitting a longtime abstinence-only group against California Department of Education officials who say the group breaks state law when it teaches in the classroom. Among the players in the unfolding debate are the ACLU of Northern California, the California Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Free to Be, a Sonoma County group that has been promoting abstinence until marriage for 17 years. Read more in the Press Democrat.
LOS ANGELES –It's official: Carrie Prejean has been fired as Miss California USA. Prejean's termination, according to pageant officials, had nothing to do with her support for traditional marriage that catapulted her from beauty queen to political commentator. Read more in the Los Angeles Times.
 
Opportunity “knocks”
RIVERSIDE – California Family Council continues to expand its offerings of the acclaimed Truth Project group leader training seminars. Training in biblical worldview is a prerequisite to living out authentic Christianity in today’s postmodern culture with its subjective claims of truth. 
Make plans now to attend one of the upcoming seminars to learn about a biblical worldview and matching your belief system to your actions; equip yourself to lead others through this DVD series that asks, “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?” Find out more! 
*June 13 at Calvary Chapel in Phelan
*June 27 at Diamond Bar Evangelical Free Church in Diamond Bar
*July 18 at Peoples Church in Fresno
If you are interested in hosting a Truth Project training seminar in your area, please call (951) 354-8362 and ask for Trudy Thomas.
 
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