McClintock ready to just say no as he starts House term

WASHINGTON – Tom McClintock arrived in Washington last week, ready to say no.

He'll say no to President-elect Barack Obama's plan to spend roughly $800 billion to rev up the economy. He'll say no to spending billions to bail out the auto industry. And he'll say no to his home state of California and others looking to Congress to get out of their budget messes.

He said the federal government doesn't have the money and needs to spend less to avoid "the same folly" as California, which is projecting a $40 billion shortfall in the next 18 months.

"My state is going to hell in a handbasket, and my country's not far behind. It's incumbent upon the Republicans to sound the warning,"

McClintock said he'll oppose Obama's stimulus plan because the U.S. budget deficit is predicted to hit a record $1.2 trillion this year. He said the auto companies can file for bankruptcy. And he said California shouldn't get any federal help because the state overspent for years, causing its own troubles.

He has another big difference with Democratic leaders, opposing mandatory controls on greenhouse emissions:

"We've tried that now in California, and it has been systemically shutting down California's economy."

[excuse my 'I told you so', but this is the guy I voted for governor {the wife voted for that actor guy}. Had he won we likely wouldn't be in the mess we're in - certainly it would be smaller.]

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