Posted on 05/24/2009 6:53:09 PM PDT by Mozilla
If you’ve seen the cover of my New York Times #1 best-selling book, you know I have…”complicated” feelings about the state of California.
I could easily write this and 100 other columns about San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. This guy’s almost too much to believe. Then there’s Hollywood. It’s filled with plenty of talented actors, but too often those same actors get confused with the characters they play and start spouting off about things they know nothing about.
But lately, the problem on the Left Coast goes way beyond one city or citizen—the whole state’s a big, steaming mess, and the regular, hard-working men and women of the state being asked to foot the bill. Sacramento’s bad decisions are costing the whole state money, and lots of it.
Tuesday was Election Day in California — for the 12th time in just seven years — and voters had their work cut out for them as they were forced to consider a complex slate of budget measures intended to fill a widening state deficit. The irony here is that most California voters get it—they don’t like more taxes any more than you do.
So what does this mean to you, if you’re someone who doesn’t live in California? Plenty. The ugly truth is that when one of the 50 states has trouble keeping their lights on, they come to Washington with their hands out and they want Congress to put some of your money into them. The thing is, through years of mismanagement, over-taxing of businesses and little effort given to keeping some of the state’s biggest companies in the state, California is broke and it ain’t your fault.
Maybe it’s just me, but I say let them fade to black.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com ...
Fade to Black.
It’s not looking good out there.
I think Obama will come up with some justification to bail out California. Maybe the feds will provide loan guarantees to Calif. or maybe the feds will guarantee Calif. gov’t bonds? Something will happen.
Stay tuned as the state could be out of cash in a couple of months. I know they are working overtime right now shifting money around between different state funds as a stop gap. But they will reach the point of no return soon.
Calif. budget processes are screwed up. Understatement, I know. But I remember in 1999, at the end of that fiscal year, California had $12 billion in the bank at that time, as it was a good year. Clearly all that money is gone and then some. There’s too much pressure for increasing spending. In the 5+ years Arnold has been governor, state spending has increased over 30%. I know some of that is inflation and some of that is on automatic pilot. However, clearly Arnold and the Dems in Sacramento have not done their basic job of balancing the budget.
Agreed.
Besides, according to Barry, we have no more money....
*in a manner attributed to Glenn Beck: makes blood shoot right out my eyes*
I am not sure how California gets this cash without a vote by Congress. Any non-California Congressman who votes for such a thing will not be re-elected.
Just like the banking and auto bailout, we will be told we are footing the bill to bailout Cal. Dim supporters will gladly help drive America deeper into the dirt, but someday, they will realize just how serious this problem is—it will too late.
I agree whole heartedly with Mr. Beck. I look at it with a bit of a different spin, though.
What we see happening in California is part of constitutional design meant to keep state government seated roughly within reality, having to face real consequences from being out of control.
This is unlike the Federal government that can always print more money, or dilute the value of money if coin-based if it develops too much of an appetite for power. Hence the reason for limited Federal powers, and states being able to do whatever they need/want within constitutional bounds.
It is a glaring example of why states rights are so important to preseving liberty and governmental accountability.
California is full of people with cancerous ideologies. When they can no longer stand the economic stench resulting from the inevitable consequences of their voting habits, they flee the state and then vote the same way in their new homes, e.g. Colorado. Don’t ask me for sympathy.
It would help them if they didn’t have to support so many people who are in the country illegally.
and California is flooded with people from other states bringing their sh** here.
Why should people from California bailout those states hit by Tornados, hurricanes, floods, etc. to rebuild to be hit again because that is what happens to those states.
I’d love to see all the White folks move out of the state and let the remaining people sort (fight) it out. A complete third world state would then exist !!
thanks...to read later
I agree. If California would promise not to ever take another dime of money generated from taxpayers outside of California, I believe the rest of the Country would agree that California would not have to contribute to the rest of us.
and if those on both the Left and Right who hire illegals, which encourages them to come into California first and cost us billions would stop their illegal activities.
For someone living in a state who had a 9/11 truther, anti war nutcase for a gov. and now pushing Al Freakin, another nut case as your Sen. needs to take care of your own state.
No place is immune to natural disasters, California has had its share of wildfires, earthquakes, mudslides and the like, which other states have bailed out. I think these cancel the hurricanes and whatnot that have impacted other states, that California has contributed towards.
Even if they didn’t perfectly cancel, I still think they are small potatoes compared with the imploding budgets brought by socialistic pro-tax, pro-spending and anti-business policies that California has enacted, and which wealthy people and businesses are now fleeing (and which illegal immigrants are now flocking to). That is a recipe for disaster, but unfortunately, that disaster is being exported by means of people who leave California to escape the detrimental effects of their ideologies, but they don’t make the connection and don’t abandon their ideologies. Colorado, once again, for example. Used to be a red state, now it’s blue, and we’re one of the larger importers of disgruntled Californians.
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