California's fiscal mess put in focus by recent events {Rats lied to protect their pay}

Sacramento Bee ^ | 4/27/12 | Dan Walters

[SmithL]

California's fiscal mess – which is more political than financial – was brought into razor-sharp focus Wednesday by three events.

First was Sacramento Superior Court Judge David I. Brown's ruling that Controller John Chiang violated the state constitution last year when he cut off legislators' salaries by invoking a newly passed constitutional dictum that they would lose pay if they failed to pass a budget by June 15.

Democratic lawmakers had passed a 2011-12 budget before then, but Gov. Jerry Brown immediately vetoed it as being hopelessly unbalanced. Chiang then cut off their paychecks.

Brown quickly tossed legislators a lifeline by declaring, as if by miracle, that the state would get an extra $4 billion in revenue.

They then passed a "balanced" budget and got their salaries restored.

Later, legislative leaders sued Chiang, challenging his authority, and Judge Brown declared, in essence, that the Legislature is the sole judge as to whether its budget was balanced, thus confirming that the salary penalty was just a political ploy to persuade voters to pass a ballot measure eliminating the two-thirds vote requirement on budgets.

A few hours after Judge Brown issued his ruling, the Legislature's budget analyst, Mac Taylor, confirmed what everyone in the Capitol already knew, that the $4 billion in extra revenue was just fairy dust and the supposedly balanced budget that was ginned up to placate Chiang is likely to wind up $5-plus billion in the red.

That would seem to make writing a 2012-13 budget even more difficult, but Brown and legislators are planning an instant replay.

[SmithL]

confirmed what everyone in the Capitol already knew, that the $4 billion in extra revenue was just fairy dust

Look for even more Fairy Dust Budgets, just to keep the Rats' paychecks coming in.

[blueunicorn6]

Why, all old governor Jerry has to do is walk out into his back yard and pick a few billion dollar bills off his money tree.

[NonValueAdded]

thus confirming that the salary penalty was just a political ploy to persuade voters to pass a ballot measure eliminating the two-thirds vote requirement on budgets.

Ha ha! fooled ya!

[JPG]

Wow, what an easy solution to use if you’re broke! Simply ‘declare’ that you have additional money in your checking account and then you can just keep on writing checks.

[spokeshave]

....Yeah...well I got money....I have checks in my check book.

..an I done balanced family budget obama self.