"The result is that monumental crises are piling up. Take California's antiquated, abuse-ridden workers' compensation system, for example. Since 1995, when statewide private and public employer-paid workers' comp premiums were $5.7 billion, a steady increase of fabricated employee injuries, medical service-provider overcharges and ambulance-chasing attorneys have driven statewide employer premiums to $15 billion. Experts suggest that increases to $20 billion can be expected within the next six months. In a hearing, the state's Democratic insurance commissioner, John Garamendi, testified about the threat of the system's imminent collapse if legislative reform was not quickly forthcoming. Within the hour, the committee's liberal majority killed all five of the measures that would have assisted the state's employers, as well as millions of their employees, to avoid the coming crisis."
I have been at the table in discussions with legislative representatives and EVERYONE there agreed that the cost of Workers Comp. is THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE.
Its is once again "the economy, stupid." Without a healthy economy there are no employers, there are no jobs, no unions, no healthy families, no money for quality of life programs.
In my opinion, restoring California as a good place to do business is a keystone to this race. Conservatives will muck it up if they allow this to be side tracked on issues like abortion, school prayer, homosexuality, etc. The race should be run on the economy and what the candidate will do to turn that around. It also should be run on the state budget. Pulling spending back to match income and tying future largess on social and other programs to inscreased state income from economic growth.
"Largess on social and other programs"? What's wrong with tax CUTS?