Oops--California Audit Finds Tons of “Lost” Cash

Townhall.com ^ | August 5, 2012 | Ann-Marie Murrell

[Lancey Howard]

Great... Another gimmick to use at budget time.
Now the scum can add a line: “cash unaware of” and put in any number they want.

[NorthernTraveler]

One of the funds that they ‘found’ money in is the Off Highway Vehicle Fund... this is money collected from off-road users of motorcycles, ATV, and probably 4x4’s to acquire land for their usage, develop riding areas and repair damage, etc.

This money can only be used for those purposes... this is mandated in the law.

Note that the Parks Department has failed to use this money for it’s required usage and has instead allowed it to pile up in the bank.

Now that Sacramento has ‘found’ it note the pressure to take it and use it for other purposes - never mind what the law says it MUST be used for.

Considering how leftist green the Parks Department probably is, this may have been their agenda all along... they don’t like the dirt bikes/ATVs/4x4’s so they tax them to provide them riding opportunities and then fail to provide them.

So this is a cautionary tale... just because the government sets up a ‘closed’ fund that collects money for some purpose DOESN’T mean the money will be used for that purpose.

Think Social Security, gas taxes, cigarette taxes, etc.

[Sarajevo]

Immediately, park-loving activists went to work and through bake sales and donations, the public helped save 69 of the 70 parks.

OK, let me get this right - the state screws up, and taxpayers need to set the screwup straight by donating even more of their own time and energy to clean up the state government's mess? Does this seem more than a little odd to anyone else?

[Wuli]

Dysfunctional junctions of programs involving more than one level of the state government, and/or more than one level of government (state to county to local) are rampant in California.

As the state has involved itself in more and more local matters, and as it has made more and more mandates on localities, and established its own local state entities among the localities, and designed programs that may involve all of the above at once - “where’s the money” can be like a “Rube Goldberg” puzzle.

[ThunderSleeps]

Let me take a wild guess here... The powers that be CA now want to be able to spend this “found” cash on other pet projects, not the parks etc. it was originally budgeted and allocated for...

[blueunicorn6]

What if.....the Democrats needed lots of money for the 2008 campaign and took it out of state funds in California? Now it’s being paid back, probably by drug dealers. How would you explain it? Remember the Democrat campaign fund manager who went to prison because of all that “lost” Democrat campaign money? And California elects every liberal on the ballot, but votes down legalizing marijuana? Drug money owns the California Democrat party.

[bikerman]

$286 million in “misplaced” funds.

Wraped up in plastic and stored in the freezer? that kind of “misplaced” funds??

[JoanneSD]

California needs to fire the whole bunch of accountants, my grand daughter was drawing unemployment up until a few month ago..the company she worked for left this thieving state, and this week she got a notice from the great state that thy had over paid her to the tune of $1350.00 in one letter they sent and then the next letter they revised it and said she owed $650.00 dollars more, and all kinds of wrath will come down on her if this is not repaid.. apparently the state employees cannot read the chart that says how much you are to be paid, it is simpler than a bus schedule, they have no data entry skills, and cannot figure out how may weeks one is eligible to be on it..but they make the error and you must pay them back...of course work is very hard to find in california, so this bill will be sent to collection as they bullied and said in two separate letters .. ruining her attempt to establish some credit

[Triple]

Municipal accounting rules are very different from corporate accounting. Until the rules for municipal accounting change there will continue to be lost pockets of money. These funds are ripe for misuse/theft/graft...