How should we solve our budget crisis? Vote for up to three of the choices below, in our survey:
Loading ...“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the leaders of the Assembly and Senate on Wednesday to scrap their plan to raise taxes to help close the state’s budget deficit, but the two Democrats insisted they would move ahead next week with a vote of the full Legislature,” according to the L.A. Times.
Wow! It would appear that Arnold has finally grown some huevos.
In fact Arnold actually sent “a metal sculpture of bull testicles” to Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, this week, which “came with a note suggesting the lawmaker would need them to make some tough budget choices,” according to the L.A. Times.
Of course Steinberg turned out to be completely humorless as he returned the balls to Arnold.
Steinberg and his pals are tone deaf. The voters spoke. They don’t want more taxes. Time to cut waste!
Maybe Steinberg should have kept those metal balls…
YOU GOT BUZZ CUT KAREN BASS these clowns up there just dont get it . this is a one party state so we know who is at fault here . and if any rep who voted for this they are at fault too . calif is run by public unions . its time for the private secter to stand up . vote all these clowns out . say no to all the public unions ENOUGH NO MORE TAXES
The state can balance their budget by eliminating one special interest loop-hole.
Mortgage interest deduction on real-estate.
D*** Democraps !!!!!!!!!!!! Stop raising taxes!!!
Thats why I hate Democrats!!!!!
no how about stopping all public employee giant pensions programs , free health care , retire at 50 , 90 percent pensions plans . the private sector suffered all the layoffs the teachers and public unions cry DONT CUT US . calif is run by public unions who give $$$$$$$ to democrats to elect them .so they own them . the reps have no power in this state so you cant blame them or bushy anymore .
Here is the budget with out any tax increases,if pay is cut across the board 15% as proposed that would save 4 billion that could be added back in below.
Not a pretty picture, some additional revenues are needed, but it is possible to cut the amounts need if you do everything listed below.
Go look at the numbers yourself they are not pretty.
Budget is 45% of revenue allocated to be spent on public Education. You can cut up to 7 Billion here based on revenues. This would leave 38 Billion as mandated by the voters for education.
About 22 Billion of the budget is social services only about 2 Billion can be cut here because of various mandates.
So we are up to 9 Billion.
Dept of correction the prison system, 10.5 Billion. Each cut here requires releasing prisoners to cut guard costs, lets release all lessor offenders approx (40,000) prisoners and save about 4 Billion.
Now we are at 13 Billion.
Cut all local assistance to cities and counties 3.5 Billion.
Now at 16.5 Billion.
Close all parks, senior centers and all other state services saving 3 Billion
Now up to 19.5 Billion
Close job assistance, home assistance, all consumer agencies, state funded nursing homes,drug and rehab programs save approx 1.5 Billion.
Now up to 21.0 Billion.
Suspend all interest payment on all depts. About 2.5 Billion
Now up to 23.5 Billion.
Shut down the state courts and cut the highway patrol by 50% saving 1 Billion.
Now up to 24.5 Billion.
Sell avaiable state assets to make up to other .5 billion to 1 Billion.
also add this one too CUT ALL SERVIES TOO ILLEGAL ALIENS .. THIS WILL SAVE BIG$$$$$$$$$$
Be the first state to cut welfare for Illegal Aliens and able bodied citizens,
Losers go else where!!
less prisoner’s less cops needed,ect…
NO do not cut anything to help eldery American’s, they earned help from their citizen’s!
Great one, Great minds think alike”)
No more Welfare !!!!! Go earn your money you lazy a**!!!
Noooooooooooo more Welfare!!! Go to work you lazy a** h***!!!! Go earn your own money stop stealing from hard working Americans !!!!
cook Says: “The state can balance their budget by eliminating one special interest loop-hole. Mortgage interest deduction on real-estate.”
Obviously cook does not own a home – so he doesn’t give a sh*t. I say tax the air that cook breaths.
That budget cuts all welfare funding from the state to all recipants, only required spending from federal mandates and state propositions which cannot be cut remain.
MOney that goes to undocumented persons and reciveing state aid is all cut to zero, except where mandated by the federal government or proposition.
The other cuts are what it takes to get to the number needed, basically cut everything thing possible except what is mandated to the bare minuinum. If you want to keep some of the services for seniors and other programs then you have to either start releasing violent offenders early or increase revenue.
No easy choices, I still would argue that some revenue needs to be raised to balance this, You just cannot make the cuts needed without endangering public safety.
Anonymous #12 , IF you OWNED your home, you would not have any tax deduction. You are a slave to your own debt.
Just think, your personal state income tax would be reduced to ZERO, the sales tax could be cut in half, and your car tax returned to.67 percent, if the large property owners had to pay tax on the profits given to mortgage companies.
So you could go from getting a small refund to paying substantially less if the wealthy property owners paid the same rates that you do now. And without touching Prop. 13 saving all property owners currently enjoy.
The Mortgage interest deduction thing would work, but I would not do it all at once. The housing market is already in the dump and falling off a cliff. That is where a lot of the current problems started.
A small increase in the gas Tax 5 Cents or so, moderate increases in the cigarette and liquior taxes, increases in user fee for state services.
You need a balance of cuts and revenue increases, using the real numbers, not smoke and mirrors to put it off until next year.
I would not vote for my no tax budget as described above it would devistate the State and endanger the public.
But here is the problem Projected Revenues are approx 75 Billion.
1) Voter required school minium funding is 37 billion
2) Other mandated Spending is approx 22 Billion.
3) Prison system is approx 10.5 Billion.Dept
4)service is 3.2 Billion
that only leaves 2.3 Billion for all other services including health depts, Returning tax money to Cities that they are entitled to, State police, Road repair, Courts, parks senor services, welfare the state part of it, women to work programs, retraining programs, health programs for Children, Medi-cal
Current spending on these items is about 30 Billion so that means cutting all of these program by 90%.
Simple – just cut everything that does not impact me! Isn’t that really what is being said here?
That is what everyone would like, but the numbers do not add up to make it possible. We will all have to share the pain to some degree.