When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pared nearly a billion dollars from the state budget, Democratic politicians and liberal groups cried foul and said they'd attempt to undo the cuts in health and social services when the Legislature returns to Sacramento in December.

Whether the cuts will be restored, however, depends largely on whether Democrat Jerry Brown or Republican Meg Whitman wins the governorship. Brown has been studiously nonspecific on what he'd do about the persistent state budget crisis while Whitman says she wants to cut more and reduce taxes to spur economic recovery.

A new study on state and local government financed by the Pacific Research Institute -- a conservative, San Francisco-based think tank -- implies that Whitman's position is the correct one, without specifically endorsing her approach.

Read more:http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2010/10/conservative-think-tank-says-c.html#ixzz12SA3hgR0