California leads the way on road to financial ruin

SJ Mercury News ^ | 12/26/02 | Peter A. Brown - Orlando Sentinel

[NormsRevenge]

WERE California a private business, it would be in bankruptcy court and its leaders would be on their way to jail.

They should be.

California's mess is a capital political crime that more than just tarnishes the Golden State.

The Sacramento gang has created a fiscal mess more than 20 times worse than anything Congress could manufacture.

[marajade]

Except that the author didn't do his research... AZ is facing a one bill deficit in its state budget going into fy 04... our total budget this year was 6.2 bil...

[Joe Hadenuf]

Lets see, America's political leaders have driven 40 states into the red, mismanaged entire state budgets, spending like drunking sailors, they have allowed into our country literally millions of criminal illegal aliens and then turn around and demand that we foot the bill for many of the services and social services they use.

I personally am looking forward to a giant collapse. Maybe then the sheeple will wake up to this government sponsored insanity.....

[paul51]

By the way I sat this election here out and I'm glad it was the right decision

I'm as disgusted as the next with the political situation but I can't help but think, if you don't vote, you shouldn't be bitchin

[gcruse]

Here the liberals are dreaming up new ways to pick the taxpayers' pockets.

There is still some room .  Up until a taxpayer revolt via initiative and referendum,
Washington State had humongous vehicle plate fees.  It was not unusual
to pay into the thousands of dollars a year for tags.  The money went wherever
the state wanted it to go.  That is, some small city governments were being
funded by the state vehicle revenue.  It was incredible.  When the law was rolled
back, the shrieks of collapse were deafening and the governer tried blackmailing
the voters into submission with predictions of doom.  Last I looked, Washington
State is still there but not, happily, me.

[american spirit]

Joe...have you been able to get any documented info as to what benefits are paid to illegals on a state and fedgov level? I want to pin down my state rep and Cong. rep on these figures and I'd like to know the answer before I ask the question. For example, I'd assume WIC, energy assistance and any $ for Sec. 8 housing is fedgov but how about medical, food stamps, etc.? I'd appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction...(I'm in Tx.)....Thanks

[Chip Buffalo]

Colorado, thankfully, just voted out a Democrat State Senate/Congress. Last term we saw the light with all the BS they were sending up to our Governer (most of which was met with a huge "VETO" stamp!!!)

I think alot of the people moving into this state are X-Californians looking for some tax relief and smart legislature.

[Jennikins]

Re Taxes. Our sales tax rate in the LA area of California presently is 8.25%.

[qam1]

I think alot of the people moving into this state are X-Californians looking for some tax relief and smart legislature.

The Good news is the people leaving California are conservatives so at least California's whacky Liberals are going down with the ship and not infecting other areas.

Mountain West region becomes biggest Republican bastion

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-10-28-gop-west-1acover_x.htm

[SierraWasp]

Sacramento Business Journal Article on Home Sales Tax Witholding... Looks like all above $100K to me!

[SierraWasp]

To say nothing of the new annual additional burdens on business!

Check out the Sacramento Business Journals list of new burdens for 2003!!!

[SierraWasp]

"I can't help but think, if you don't vote, you shouldn't be bitchin"

Amen, Brother Ben!!!

[Torie]

The economic law of competitive advantage is so strong, that the ability of California to raise taxes materially is severely limited. The powers that be recognize that. Any tax increases will be marginal. Either it will be an emperor has no clothes situation, where California illegal runs deficits (which is not sustainable over the long term, or even the medium term), or spending is slashed. Individual states are simply unable to effect a new redistributionist paradigm. Only the Feds can do that.

[Morrigan]

And we thought WE had it bad, lol

[FITZ]

California's budget deficit works out to more than $1,000 per resident and makes New York City look fiscally responsible.

Why do they report the figures this way? To make it seem less of a problem? They need to report how much the deficit is per TAXPAYER.

[FITZ]

Don't bother coming to Texas because our sales tax is also that high.

[Grampa Dave]

Where was the Jerkcury News, the Bees, the LA Slimes, the Gayrhonicle and the other maggot infested fishwraps the ten months before this last election re this deficit?

They knew about this deficit and ignored it until about one week after the election. There was more specific news about the deficit on Free Republic than all of these scumbag fishwraps.

Even now as they tell part of the story, they omit the 10-12 billion $ surplus that we had before the tax and spend legislature and Davis went ballistic in spending our money and money that ain't ours.

When they do write about it, they never really address budget cuts to those who don't deserve a single penny like the illegal aliens in California.

Each illegal alien student costs the state/county/city at least $7,000 year in basic school costs. The real costs are probably over $10,000/illegal alien student/year. Like the deficit, it will never be discussed and analyzed by the left wing maggots who control the media in Kaliland.

However, these illegal aliens students are probably at a million minimum in the state. Sending them home from schools would save us 7 to 10 billion $'s next year. That doesn't get into free medical costs, college tuition, food stamps, WIC programs and rental programs.

[Grampa Dave]

Those who brag about not voting while claiming to be conservatives are the same people who would watch a woman being raped and take the high road by ignoring it.

The state of California was being raped 24/7 by Davis/Burton and the rest of the Rat Pack in Sacramento. These holier than thou phoney conservatives just sat back and did nothing. Or they slammed Simon 24/7 over petty things to justify their lack of support! They still slam him and those of us who worked to kick the rapers of Kalifornian out of Sacramento.

$crew them and their phoney conservatism. I would rather have liberals as neighbors than any of them!

[Lancey Howard]

The author was doing great until:

"Good intentions responsible for that spending are admirable, but often are sidetracked by unintended, although predictable, consequences."

There are no "good intentions responsible for that spending".

Scumbag Democrat politicians who are trying to expand the parasite class in order to grow their voter base are responsible for that spending.

After that gaffe it was tough to continue reading, but the writer seemed to get back on track for the most part.

Only this line:

"But while the wealthy and upper-middle class are tightening their belts, those lower on the totem pole -- and not just the poor -- will seriously suffer from the upcoming massive cuts in government programs."

...made me wince.

Surely this author understands that the very fact that people depend on scumbag government programs so much that cutting back on these programs causes those people to "suffer" is the crux of the problem? And that bending people over yet again for more taxes is a bigger problem than cuts in scumbag government programs? I think most taxpayers in California are about ready to shake off a few bloated ticks at this point. Time for the parasites to drop off the hosts for awhile.

[Lancey Howard]

Where was the Jerkcury News, the Bees, the LA Slimes, the Gayrhonicle and the other maggot infested fishwraps the ten months before this last election re this deficit?

Easy. It was all a big surprise that caught everybody off guard. Nobody knew a thing about it until right after the election. If any of these toilet papers that pushed for the reelection of Davis had known about the looming budget debacle, they would have wrote all about it, yessirree.

[SheLion]