<p>Listening to the histrionics from California legislators regarding the state's ongoing budget crisis, one could almost forget the simple solution to the multibillion-dollar problem: Slow down the spending spree. Stop lavishing taxpayers' dollars on special interest groups at a pace that far exceeds the receipt of revenue. If only the Legislature had the gumption to roll back spending a mere four years, to the early days of the Davis administration, there would be no serious budget problem.</p>