VIDEO: Governor Must Stop Protecting Big Oil, Tobacco at the Expense of Kids, Seniors & Students

SEIU launched a statewide television ad calling on Governor Schwarzenegger to stop protecting Big Oil and Tobacco interests after slashing critical services for our seniors, kids, and college students in the name of “shared sacrifice.” The ad points out the insincerity of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saying everyone must share the burden of balancing the budget, then slashing services for children, seniors and families at the same time he excuses big oil and tobacco from contributing a dime to shoring up the budget deficit. California big business actually received a tax decrease of up to $2.5 billion in the budget agreement reached in February. Democrats have proposed modest taxes on oil and tobacco to ease some of the deepest budget cuts proposed by the Governor. The ads draw on recent surveys that show voters – both Democrats AND Republicans – oppose deep cuts to vital services and favor an approach that balances cuts with new taxes. They particularly favor increasing taxes on tobacco products and enacting an extraction tax on oil pumped out of California, similar to the taxes levied by every other oil-producing state. “It is unconscionable that Governor Schwarzenegger would allow Big Oil and Tobacco to avoid their fair share of taxes while taking health care from kids, throwing seniors and people with disabilities out their homes, depriving our students of an education, and undermining the quality of life of California’s working families,” said Eliseo Medina, SEIU executive vice president. “We need a fair and balanced approach that mixes cuts and common-sense tax increases.”