Debate for Calif lawmakers: Budget or blueberries?

AP via SFGate ^ | 6/11/9 | JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer

[SmithL]

What budget crisis?

As California faces what one official this week called a complete meltdown of state government, some lawmakers have their minds on other matters.

Like creating a blueberry commission. Or standing up for pomegranate juice. And, in what passes for health reform in the nation's most populous state, ensuring that the name tags of medical workers are in 18-point font.

Those are among the hundreds of bills being debated in the California Legislature as the state faces a $24.3 billion deficit and the prospect of running out of cash by late July.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has urged lawmakers to act swiftly so the state can pass a budget before the fiscal crisis deepens.

The lawmakers' attention on less pressing issues — some of them much less pressing — earned a rebuke from the Republican governor. He even endorsed the idea of converting the Legislature to part-time status to focus lawmakers' attention on only the most important topics.

If lawmakers worked part-time, he said, "they would probably concentrate more on the serious work and not some of the bills that come down ... for creating a blueberry commission and so on. There would not be time for that," he recently told the editorial board of The Sacramento Bee.

Among the more eyebrow-raising bills pending in the state Legislature are ones that would:

_ Ensure that juice sold as "pomegranate" is 100 percent pomegranate.

_ Instruct 9th and 10th graders about the value of organ donation.

_ Ban toy cigarette lighters.

_ Require day cares to serve only healthy food to children.

_ Mandate 18-point font on health workers' name tags.

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, a Democrat from San Francisco, is the author of the name-tag bill and another that would establish a commission to promote California's growing blueberry industry.

[SmithL]

Your tax dollars at work????

[Texas Fossil]

They say it is the place of “fruits” and “nuts”.

[Seruzawa]

“Billions of dollars are expected to be cut from education and 5,000 state workers face layoffs. Nearly all government employees have been ordered to take furloughs and salary rollbacks that amount to a 15 percent pay reduction.”

Good. Make them work to 65 and cap pensions at 50% with no SS double-dipping. If they don’t like it they can sell their oh so valuable skills in the private sector.

One more thing. Immediate firing and loss of pension for doing personal business or sleeping on the job.

[ASOC]

California pols - busy rearranging the desk chairs on the (Titanic) ship of State....

[Grampa Dave]

The same bs is done at the city and county levels.

While the city/county is approaching bankruptcy, the mentally ill liberals pass feel good stuff like being a nuclear free city, a haven for illegals, sister city announcements and approving a proud to be gay day in the city and schools.

[ridesthemiles]

Your tax dollars at work????”

Just so you know that not all of this kind of nonsense occurs in Kalifornia:

Nevada Legislature only meets every other year- and only for 120 paid days.

Items on this year’s agenda===

They discussed, debated on and voted on and sent to the Governor a bill designating the OFFICIAL STATE INSECT!!!
(IMO, the official state insect in every state is the blood-sucking tax dollar spending lazyass)

Another piece of priority legislation==
Legislature discussed, debated, passed and sent to the Governor legislation which the Governor vetoed, and the legislature rediscussed and revoted to override the veto of the Governor———— WAIT FOR IT——

It is now not legal in Nevada for a person to take more than 10 copies of any FREE printed material. Items like real estate booklets/ apartments for rent/ Big Nickel/Pennysaver, etc.

In the face of the other problems in every state, I find this kind of wast of time and paper the biggest reason why term limits need to be invoked in each and every state, as well as in Congress.