THIS is why California is spiraling the toilet
Voters may be asked to end state budget impasse
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls a special election this year, California voters might be forced to make the hard choices on the budget and taxes that the Legislature won’t.
State Controller John Chiang said in an interview that he would support putting a tax increase package to voters in an effort to break the long-running legislative stalemate that has left California with a $42 billion deficit and weeks away from delaying refunds to taxpayers and grants to college students and low-income and disabled residents.
WHY do we keep re-electing these incompetents who can’t make the hard choices or compromise on anything??
The last special election cost the taxpayers of California about $50 million. If we have to pay a similar amount again how about taking it straight out of the legislature’s funding?
The commenters on the article at SFGate have some interesting ideas as well:
monet2u
If I have to vote to resolve these budget issues, then I want them to relinquish their titles, salaries, etc. Apparently, I could easily do their jobs.
bigwhitedog
So while we are voting on this mess, lets recall everyone of them and start over!
looktoplanb
I’d guess that the State of CA would be better served not having a special election. I’m no Carnac, but I think any tax increase proposal would go down to defeat by probably historic percentages. Save the money and work with the Republicans. It’s pretty obvious at this point that there needs to be severe cuts in benefits, workforce and programs on a permanent basis for California to survive and eventually prosper going forward.
lamont_cranston
We need to fire all these people. We keep re-electing them and then whine when we have the same results. Fire all of them, particularly if we have to pay for a special election to fix what we ‘hired’ them to.
drumstick
Why are we paying the members of the CA legislature when they pass their duties back to the voters!? I thought this country was a republic, not a democracy! Oh well, I can make the difficult decisions for you very quickly: Postpone rail, 20% pay cuts to state employees, stop payments to welfare recipients, raise the sales tax by 1%, raise car registration fees, and fire the CA legislature. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
firstand3
Lets vote. And while we are at it also vote on making the legislature part-time and set their salary at minimum wage.
qawagstaff
Let’s bring back the poll tax! It isn’t that outrageous! The original purpose wasn’t to discriminate, that only came in the South post Civil War. The founders put it in the constitution as a protection against the populace voting themselves money and as a way of raising taxes. If you wanted to vote, you paid a tax, and the money the Government spent was from poll taxes and tariffs. Those Founders were pretty smart.
gojira
According to the nonpartisan California State Legislative Analysts’ Office, the state will spend on education in fiscal 2008-09, per K-12 pupil, $11,626. That’s really the elephant in the room. The past 20 years have seen a massive influx of immigrants, most of them poor and unskilled, and of rabbitlike fertility. But the children of those immigrants, the “anchor babies”, are citizens the second they pop out on U.S. soil — entitled to a free public education. And as soon as they are old enough to hit kindergarten, one of those anchor babies costs the rest of us more than eleven and a half grand per year, each. And will continue to cost that each year through 12th grade. There’s no way that the small amount of taxes their parents typically pay will ever come anywhere close to offsetting that huge educational bill. And if we don’t do something about this, the financial future of the state is pointed straight down the toilet.
fatboy_baxter
I am OK with deciding what to keep and what to cut. Just put every single budget line item on the ballot with its budget for 2008 right next to it. In my infinite uninformed wisdom, I’ll make the decisions the nincompoops we elected cannot. Of course, one of those budget lines will be for legislative salary expense. Hmmm, now how should I vote on that…..???
From DoctorHousingBubble we get a clear picture of California’s problem:
Total Revenues and Transfers - 2008-09
*Dollars in Millions
Personal Income Tax $58,023
Sales Tax $35,093
Corporation Tax $11,937
Other $11,490
Motor Vehicle Fees $5,966
Highway Users Taxes $3,565
Insurance Tax $2,276
Tobacco Taxes $1,096
Liquor Tax $341
Note item #1 - personal income tax. This is where the state gets most of its money…and that number is going to sink like a stone this year, as is item #2 because people are losing their jobs.
Total Expenditures (Including Selected Bond Funds)
*Dollars in Millions
K-12 Education $43,710
Health and Human Services $35,687
Higher Education $14,567
Business Transportation & Housing $13,406
Corrections and Rehabilitation $10,290
General Government $7,749
Legislative, Judicial, Executive $6,358
Resources $5,707
Environmental Protection $1,582
State and Consumer Services $1,555
Labor and Workforce Development $427
Note item #1 - the biggest cut of our expenses goes to a failing public education system. A system that “educates” students who then need remedial classes just to attend community college. A system that educates all children, including illegal immigrants, at taxpayer expense. A system that fights school vouchers tooth and nail even though vouchers would ultimately save taxpayer money. A system that spends most of its resources on administration and not on students.
Note item #2 - the second biggest share of our taxes goes to welfare. In an economy where people are losing jobs and losing the health insurance that is tied to employment, that number is going to go UP.
What the hell is “general government” that it’s a separate category from the three legal branches, legislative, judicial and executive AND gets a bigger budget than the Big 3? Put together (as it should be, not divided up to move it farther down the list) government comes in at #4, just barely beat out by higher education. Can you say “bloated?”
Note the item dead last on the list - labor and workforce development. That which we need MOST right now is dead last.
Really, if they go forward with a special election I hope and pray that an initiative goes on it that kicks every last one of our state legislators out of office. We can carry the load until replacements are elected. We’re doing that anyway.
Tags: budget, california, legislature, special election
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May 25th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Yep, California is in the toilet, but wait, there’s more. Now that California has collapsed under the burden of illegal immigration from Mexico, they will be headed to a state hear you. Well not exactly. They will be headed to your state. Get out your checkbooks.
You might not be able to afford medical insurance, but you can bet your ass they will get it. Forty one cents out of every dollar going to an education systems that produces jokes on Jay Leno’s Jaywalking. Another twenty five cents goes to who knows what all. You just have to go with the swirl and head down the drain pipe as well all will soon.