As California goes..

.. so do we all?

Is California too big to allow to fail?

 

California is in deep doo doo. The whole "progressive" plebiscite thing is really stupid. The most important State economically in America is largely dysfunctional at the State government level.

Don't want to raise taxes and/or don't want to cut government programs, and don't want to give the power to a governor or legislature to do it themselves. Epic fail.

 

CA to Sac: We made this mess, you fix it!

It's strange that it seems very difficult to find a list of initiative results by County. Wonder why?

There's all sorts of finger pointing, starting with the low turnout, which the Dem Assembly speaker says is due to 'voter fatigue'... I get the message: This is TOO important for the voter to decide on, only the elected should have a say.

There's no doubt that the CA initiave process serves to muddy the waters in some ways. But is that a 'mandate' to govern by fiat?

What about the effect of Special Interests, such as the unions? Ethnic groups?

And why is there a law against reducing legislator pay during their tenure? Who passed that.. or was it a 'compromise' in a statute against raising it during their tenure?

I think if you scratched the surface or went deep down for other voters, the real message is 'We dont want to have to move out of California!'

 

Fog, this is one of the best threads that you have posted -- throughout my adult life I have watchted the CA legslature occasionally, always with voyeuristic shock and horror.

 

Cal: It gets worse!

Cal Retiree health care, alone, dwarfs budgets... then there's pensions.

Really scary. CBS5 video

 

RE: Cal: It gets worse!

Don't get me started fog..............

 

RE: Cal: It gets worse!

Governator: "Our wallet is empty. Our bank is closed. Our credit is dried up....People come up to me all the time, pleading 'Governor, please don't cut my program.' They tell me how the cuts will affect them and their loved ones," Schwarzenegger said. "I see the pain in their eyes and hear the fear in their voice. It's an awful feeling. But we have no choice."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... .DTL&tsp=1

Never mind the doom and gloom, please come and spend your money here, it's 68 and sunny today, so we got that goin' for us, which is nice.

 

It's Berry, Berry, Bad

Ok, the thought of Arnold singing "Satisfaction," but as covered by Devo, makes me laugh. Hardily. I almost forgot we're closing 200+ state parks and firing myriad teachers.

I digress....The dot.com bust was bad, but this time around is proving to be worse. One indicator is the lessened traffic: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 17S52B.DTL

I'd estimate that traffic is down to '02-03 levels - right after the dot.com bust. And no, everybody didn't begin to use BART or CalTrain; I regularly use public transport as well and it is less busy too.

Good times.

LL Cool J wouldn't even go back to Cali right now.

 

California Dreaming

"Well.... There they go, again."

From LA Times:
State's budget crisis opens rift between unions and Democrats

"...other industries, products and people."
- That arent THEM! So that would rule out a 50% tax on Union Dues, I suppose.

And it's CERTAINLY NOT what the unions paid for when they bought them!