[eaglescout]

Notice that the California budget deficit is always reported in terms of net numbers -- never in terms of the revenues versus the expenditures. This article at least mentions that the expenditure number varies according to what categories are included. If we just talk about the general fund, here is what I have found. (The numbers below are estimates, and my sources are a combination of the Legislative Analyst's webpage and the Dept. of Finance webpage.)

General fund revenues and transfers

1998-99 $58,064 bln
1999-00 $63,204 bln
2000-01 $73,862 bln
2001-02 $72,239 bln
2002-03 $73,144 bln
2003-04 $69,513 bln

Doesn't really look all that bad, does it? The problem is with the expenditures, which have exploded under Gov. Davis and the Democrat controlled assembly and senate.

[Southack]

"The problem is with the expenditures, which have exploded under Gov. Davis and the Democrat controlled assembly and senate."

That "free money" is the heroin and crack habit of career socialists. A few more years of that nonsense and California will be bankrupt (but certainly not this year).

All the more reason to be glad that Simon "lost" in 2002...