Be Glad that you don't live in California.(Most OUTSTANDING article!)

Pittsburgh Tribune Review ^ | 29 December 2002 | Peter A. Brown

[vannrox]

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.

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

California's deficit is 20 percent of state spending and a third of its operating budget. If every state worker were fired, California would still be at least $10 billion in the red.

[vannrox]

A most excellent article.

Copyright © 2002, Orlando Sentinel

The Orlando Sentinel requires that the article be excerpted. Please go HERE to read the article in it's entirity.

[evolved_rage]

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.

They won't cut squat, taxes will go up, from 9.3%...

[evolved_rage]

ping

[sheik yerbouty]

Californastan is like a certain Twilight Zone episode. A miscreant wakes up after being shot by a policeman, and finds himself attended by a butler called "Pip" in a white suit. Every wish is granted; fast cars, fast women, and always winning at the casino. After awhile, our goblin becomes bored and states that this "paradise" is not to his liking, the outcome of the gambling is always known. He tells Pip "I want to go to the "other place". Pip roars with laughter, and then fiercely tells him "This is the other place!"

"Avert thine eyes Heavenward, Faustus!"

[2banana]

Plus the governments in Texas and Florida actually allows their people to bear arms!

[Libertarianize the GOP]

bump

[NEWwoman]

bttt

[PhiKapMom]

Having just spent two weeks in Southern California driving around and visiting, I couldn't agree more. When we were transferred to MA in 1985 from Norton AFB in San Bernardino, I was devasted. When my daughter and I left CA a little over a week ago, I was very happy.

Took me three hours to drive from Universal Studios to the LA County border with San Bernardino County as I was dumb enough to use I-10 at 3:45 in the afternoon. That doesn't even include trying to get back to San Diego from a visit to Hollywood and another day from Disney to San Diego!

Don't know how the folks out there do it with all the people, traffic, and people that do not speak English. Felt in the minority since English is the only language I really know in so many instances.

[EggsAckley]

THIS (26 redwood acres) is why I stay in California. And even so, there ARE times I think about living somewhere else. Just a little too old for a major relocation, I think.

[NormsRevenge]

Been there ,Done that ! I posted this a few days ago :-)

Someday, no one will admit that they lived in California, only that they dog paddled as long as they could before it slid under a fiscal tsunami the likes of which would rival Krakatoa in its scope and magnitude.

[EggsAckley]

RE: people who do not speak English.

Last week I was in the mood for a dinner of Cheese fondue. Off to Safeway for supplies. The first woman I asked spoke a little English, but had never heard of Fondue. The next person, with slightly better English, hadn't heard of Fondue either. A clerk (native born) knew what it was, but didn't know where to look.

I finally found it on my own, and then began the search for the Sterno. It was like deja vu all over again; nobody knew what Sterno was. One finally did know, but couldn't find it.

We finally found it, placed oh-so-logically next to the shoe polish.
Arrgh.

The moral of this saga is that even WHEN they can speak English, they STILL don't know anything.

[Dialup Llama]

>I finally found it on my own, and then began the search for the Sterno. It was like deja vu all over again; nobody knew what Sterno was. One finally did know, but couldn't find it.

>We finally found it, placed oh-so-logically next to the shoe polish.

Of course its logical. They both come in a can and will burn when you light them.

[Dialup Llama]

>Progressivity may be the fairest way to collect taxes, but it doesn't necessarily ensure the needed revenue stream.

Outer limits of class warfare
www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/799593/posts

Understanding why is not hard when you understand how dependent federal revenues are on a relatively small segment of society.

Again according to Congress' estimators, the Joint Tax Committee, those making $75,000 or more will pay 72 percent and those making $100,000 or more will pay 58.7 percent of all federal taxes paid by individuals (income, employees' share of payroll, and excise taxes) once last year's tax cuts are fully implemented in 2006. Despite liberal rhetoric that only the rich benefited, these percentages increased (from 71.7 percent and 58.4 percent) as a result of last year's tax cuts — in other words, America's tax code became more progressive and revenues became more dependent on the economic performance of a smaller group

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

At least people in the rest of the country understand the magnitude of the problem out here!

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[PhiKapMom]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is funny!

At the hotel we were staying at in San Diego, I asked the desk clerk where a good Mexican restaurant was -- took me forever to get directions I understood. The night before I asked for seafood and it turned out the place was right next door to the hotel and I missed it driving in at night. He kept explaining and I could not figure out what he was saying. Finally one of the other people that worked there told me to walk out the front door and go around the hotel to my right to the next building. At least I could understand her with my limited Spanish.

Don't know how you guys do it! BTW your grocery prices for things like eggs are out of sight! Not to mention gasoline. I went from paying $1.19 for a gallon when I left OK to paying $1.79 and higher in San Diego! What a shock!

[NormsRevenge]

At least people in the rest of the country understand the magnitude of the problem out here!

Its too bad the socialzits in the state legislature "Don't Get IT!!"

[Revolting cat!]

Grate artical!

Every sentence a paragraph!

How does he do it?

Which Graduate School of Journalism?

I'd ruther liv in Kalifornia than rite (and think!) like dat!

[Hildy]

What hotel did you stay at in San Diego?

[Gophack]

Beautiful. I, too, live in California (though not on such beautiful property!). What some people don't understand is that JOBS are in California, and wonderful weather. I have been trying to talk my husband to moving to Idaho and he said, "I would have to find a job, it would pay less, and I would have to shovel snow just to get to work."

However, with the state in such a severe financial crisis and taxes almost assuredly going up, I fear we'll be in a major quandry when we pay more out of our paychecks, our property value decreases, and we don't have the extra money to get out when everything falls apart.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks, and it has been bookmarked.