Jerry Brown's state won't be what it was

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | January 26, 2013 | Joe Garofoli

[artichokegrower]

With the state budget balanced for the first time in years, Gov. Jerry Brown is roaring that "California is back," painting a rosier future for California with gauzy predictions of its "rendezvous with destiny."

But beneath the governor's flowery evocations of "bold pioneers" who followed "every failure with an even greater success," Brown tacitly acknowledged during his State of the State speech last week that California's present isn't what it once was.

Before they rendezvous with destiny, Californians must confront their stark new reality.

"What everybody is struggling with now is how to set expectations," said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

"The governor is trying to find a way to create expectations and keep a lid on them. And that's tough to do," Baldassare said. "Economically, we're not at a point where we can take care of all of these needs." 'An era of limits'

The booming California of the 74-year-old Brown's youth in San Francisco, or of his first stint as governor in the 1970s, doesn't exist. Then, payrolls in the state were growing at roughly 4 percent a year. Now, more than 1 in every 5 California children lives in poverty. In Fresno County, 35 percent of kids are poor.

[artichokegrower]

One with a $500 billion unfunded public employee retirement obligation facing the state I don't know how they can describe the budget as being balanced. Two hey Jerry how's that open border policy working for California with 25% of the state's kids living in poverty? Warning to other states. Whatever California is doing do just the opposite.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Not to mention that Brown included in his budget money from Washington that at this point doesn’t yet exist.

[jiggyboy]

Any claim of a balanced budget in CA is a lie. Subtract the usual official accounting tricks, big shots front-loading 2013 income into 2012 where possible to avoid multiple higher taxes, and outright lies, and the result is that nothing has changed.

[artichokegrower]

Jerry Brown’s response to 25% of the state’s children living in poverty:

Jerry Brown will push for ‘pathway to citizenship’ for immigrants
By Jim Sanders
Jan. 18, 2013

Gov. Jerry Brown is thrusting himself into the federal fight over creating a “pathway to citizenship” for millions of undocumented immigrants who entered the United States illegally.

“I expect to play a role in the national effort for comprehensive reform,” Brown said in a statement released by his office Thursday. “I’ll be directing some efforts on national reform.”

Brown’s personal involvement is significant because California is home to an estimated 2.9 million undocumented immigrants, about one of every four nationwide.

[P.O.E.]

With the state budget balanced for the first time in years,

I stopped reading right there - obvious BS.

[cripplecreek]

Brown is just the head nut in the Sac.

[ken5050]

California looks “good” only because Illinois is in worse shape..

[sasquatch]

Perhaps Parks stashed more money than first thought.

[NormsRevenge]

Willie Brown was on local tv saying give Moonbeam an opportunity to turn things around.

I ask, Why? what did he do before? California, stuck on studip.

[Seaplaner]

Yes, it is, of course, die große Lüge

We need to ask ourselves whether these might be...

1. Lies agreed upon in advance on order to put "lipstick" on the budget, hoping to con people into economic activity (conspiracy?), or/and...

2. Lies that they have re-told so often amongst themselves that they actually believe them (groupthink?, hysteria?)

Nonetheless, then the alleged "revenue" projections fall tragically short, watch for the "unexpected" and "unanticipated" adjectives on the headlines (which will complete the lies).

[Seaplaner]

Correction: ...when the alleged "revenue" projections...

[blueunicorn6]

Good old Jerry Brown and his dog Sutter. One of these days, his team will win a baseball game with him pitching. Just you wait and see.

[DUMBGRUNT]

from comments at sfgate.com :

Liberalism is a cancer that is consuming the goose that laid the golden egg.

[Moonman62]

One with a $500 billion unfunded public employee retirement obligation facing the state I don't know how they can describe the budget as being balanced.

I think they are using some kind of liberal smoke and mirrors like carbon credits. Regardless, the annual budget only includes short term liabilities.

[jiggyboy]

It’s all lipstick and smoke & mirrors:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/01/18/gov-brown-uses-tricks-to-balance-ca-budget

[aquila48]

It’s interesting that 95% of the readers of the SFComical who commented on the story think that story is a joke.

[Cyman]

Jerry was just able to pay the interest on one of California’s credit cards and now he is gleefully dreaming about shopping for necessities on Rodeo Drive

[Hardastarboard]

Any claim of a balanced budget in CA is a lie. Subtract the usual official accounting tricks, big shots front-loading 2013 income into 2012 where possible to avoid multiple higher taxes, and outright lies, and the result is that nothing has changed.

Give the man a seegar. An anonymous poster on a small internet forum understands and has called out some simple and obvious facts that the entire MSM with their millions of dollars in resources and reporting capabilities (deliberately) didn't. The benighted fools at DU were crowing last week about Brown balancing the CA budget and doing victory laps all over the place.

It would be interesting to see what the credit rating agencies have to say about this. The "California balanced budget" house of cards will come tumbling down in six months or so.

[Cyber Liberty]

With the state budget balanced for the first time in years ...

Huh?

[morphing libertarian]

Still driving businesses out.

Now with higher taxes look for some rich folks with high incomes to follow