California declares “fiscal emergency:” Arnie’s gonna come begging
Burning up.
The land of bloated budgets and gold-plated public unions is collapsing. California has finally realized you can’t run up massive deficits forever. Now, GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a “fiscal emergency.” And you know what’s coming next. Get ready to fork over at least $7 billion in taxpayer-funded loans.
Who’s going to stop this wealth redistribution? Anyone? Anyone?:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a fiscal emergency and called lawmakers into a special session to address California’s $11.2 billion budget deficit.
The state’s revenue gap is expected to hit $28 billion over the next 19 months unless the governor and lawmakers take bold steps.
Schwarzenegger and Democrats have proposed a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts, but Republican lawmakers have remained steadfast in their refusal to raise taxes.
Unless budget corrections are made quickly, the state is likely to run out of cash in February.
In a statement Monday, Schwarzenegger said California is headed toward “fiscal disaster” without immediate action.
Plenty of blame among Democrats in California to go around. But IBD pointed out some damningly inconvenient truths about Arnie’s culpability recently that bear repeating:
Sadly, the most tangible legacy of the Schwarzenegger era so far is its explosive growth in state spending. It’s up by $41 billion since Davis left, jumping from $104 billion in the 2003-04 budget (the last one that Davis signed) to $145 billion in the fiscal year just ended, 2007-08. That’s a 40% increase, or 33% on a per-capita basis.
John G. Matsusaka, a professor of business and law at the University of Southern California, notes this fact in a recent article and asks fair questions: “Why does it seem like the quality and quantity of government is not all that different from 2004? How many of us feel like we are getting 40% more public services, 40% better schools, roads, parks and so on?”
The honest answer is that a great deal of this money went to make government and its employees richer, not better. For instance, California’s teachers are among the highest-paid in the nation, but by any measure its public schools are far from the nation’s best.
The deep-rooted partnership of public-employee unions and the Democratic Party guarantees that, as taxes rise, the payoff in public services will be paltry while the pay-out to public workers will be lavish.
Schwarzenegger tried, up to a point, to halt this combine shortly after he won the recall vote and seemed genuinely interested in reform. He put good proposals on the ballot in November and saw them defeated, proving that the California electorate sometimes gets it right, sometimes not.
But then he took a turn for which he can only blame himself. He gave up the fight for reform and opted for the basically passive role of deal maker between the two parties.
Looks like that “rebranding” is working out really well for ya, eh, Governor?
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Categories: Arnold Schwarzenegger, GOP
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Never give up! Never surrender!
Wasn’t Arnie eelcted to get this under control?
Yes, but his proposals needed to actually be sold and fought for. Seeing as how there is no stunt-double for CA Gov, he had to do it all by himself. Turned out he didn’t like the bad press.
Arnold=RINO
Dang-it! I can’t pay for my weekly supply of caviar and Dom Perignon…I’m the next one declaring…
FISCAL EMERGENCY!!!
Now where’s my bailout?
No. Start shutting the thing down. This is a good opportunty for illegals to be sent back home as well.
Do you mean paying for illegals for decades with them giving nothing back will bankrupt you????? NOOOO say it isn’t so.
By Grapthar’s Hammer!
This is what happens when you “reach out across the aisle” to the dems.
Hey, Arnie. Someone said recently “I learned that you should never ever give up. . . . They should never give up. They should be on it and on it until they get it done.”
Well, there is a bit of good news. In the recent election, Californians past an initiative to take re-districting out of the hands of the state legislators. The unions and the burden of services for illegal immigrants, as well as home forclosures by people not qualified to be home owners have dealt a death blow to the state. Looking to pack up and move on soon.
(On a subject, waaay off-topic, look at the the crescent moon shortly after sunset. The two bright “stars” nearby are Venus and Jupiter. With a good pair of binoculars, I use 10×50’s you can see those three objects and four of Jupiters’ moons, in one view, a beautiful sight. Sorry for the divergence, but I’m an astronomy buff.)
How exactly does a state government get that far out of control? Did they never run surpluses to offset these deficits? Let them sell bonds to the Chinese. They always wanted a piece of America, er, Mexico.
sonofdy has declared a “fiscal emergency.”
——–
1 billion will do congress. Sonofdy is too big to fail!!!
Now,
GOPRino Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.Needs correcting - sorry.
(On a subject, waaay off-topic, look at the the crescent moon shortly after sunset. The two bright “stars” nearby are Venus and Jupiter. With a good pair of binoculars, I use 10×50’s you can see those three objects and four of Jupiters’ moons, in one view, a beautiful sight. Sorry for the divergence, but I’m an astronomy buff.)
I think I figured out what I want for christmas. A telescope.
From what I have learned about California, they have given millions of taxpayers money to keep the illegals warm and feely. Hospitals are going out of business because of illegals. They raise taxes on companies so high the companies leave the state. Property taxes are so high people are leaving. It seems when all else fails, raise taxes and it will be all ok. Well, gov. you are seeing what your state and other states who cater to all above are in the red and wanting us taxpayers to get your sorry rear out of trouble. Me, myself, and I do NOT want to give you one single penny. I have to keep the house on a budget, you might try it.
L
If this works, can I be sonofdyII?
Arnold always liked the idea of being on stage and LOOKING like an action hero, but he has found that it’s not so much fun having to really ACT like an action hero. His initial blunt talk and threats to take on the politicians and the unions energized this state. Now we see that he’s just another RINO who loves being loved by the Democrats and the media.
It is unbelievable that he has allowed spending to increase by 40%. The solution is obvious…CUT, CUT, CUT!
Hasta la vista Arnie baby!
I pray that CA collapsed in to the rubble pile in which it has laid its moral bed. They say in lala land… AMF
Seriously. Does anyone think the Fed will send some bail-out money to regular tax-paying citizens?
If they’re going to throw money away, they might as well throw some to me. It wouldn’t take all that much $$$ to change my life. I’d put it to good use.
Hell if this worked, I would help out every single person on this web page.
On-my-soap-box, wholly owned subsidiary of sonofdy.
Is ‘grandsonofdy’ taken? How ’bout ‘3rdcousintwiceremovedofdy’?
You can just forward my portion directly to NARAL, Greepeace and CAIR.
cut services to those who really shouldn’t be getting them…uh hum…illegals come to mind….plenty of ways to cut costs there arnie….I make mistakes in my budget I certainly don’t get a hand out from the rest of the country…
chap = sobofdy
I would chop off my left testical first. I will help out PEOPLE!!!! And probably charities but people first.
No, I claim secretlovechildofsonofdy.
I would be interested in knowing how CA legislative policies have impacted revenue growth during this same period. All I have read about the past two years has been the flood of businesses leaving CA.
The road of life is littered with the corpses of idealistic idiots.
I use a good pair of binoculars mounted on a tripod for two reasons:
1. Many telescopes invert the image so what you are actually seeing is upside down.
2. With binoculars, you are looking with both eyes, which means you are seeing in “stereo”, which means you see things with 3-dimensional depth.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program of doom and gloom…
For wifeofsonofdy’s sake, please don’t. I was only kidding.
Ha ha! Yes, the ‘B’ word for such a child fits! Good one!
ROFL @ Chap
shhhh don’t tell wifeofsonofdy
Sure, for a billion smackers - why not!
Hell I will even fund a completely conservative web site with no ads for a year or 2.
You clearly do not understand the concept of a bailout. They can be used only for executive bonuses and junkets.
You forgot. There will be no such animals allowed when the unFairness Doctrine gets imposed.
You gunna take a poll on what conservative ideas are as they relate to the issues or do you know? (Insult intended for the RNC) How about a link that takes us to a donation page? (Insult intended for the RNC)
This will only get worse until CA stops taxing its citizens (and businesses) into exile as well as trying to become a co-state of Mexico.
“California, Here I Come” and the official state song, “I Love You, California” come across as bittersweet these days.
I love California and I always will. The government, though, is sullying her and I find it very disheartening.
As a seventh-generation Californian, I must do all I can to defend her honor and restore her to greatness.
I ask all Americans to save California as it is a window to the future of the country and thus they will be saving themselves.
As a very high taxpaying resident of Kalifornia, Arnold didn’t give up the fight, he caved into every demand that the liberal whack jobs wanted in the state legislature.
Screw ‘em. Let them go bankrupt. I could care less.
Add this to the phrases in the English language which have absolutely no credibility, i.e.,
1. The check is in the mail,
2. Of course I will respect you as much in the morning,
and 3. I’m from the government. I’m here to help.
It wouldn’t be the first time for california.
essentiallly, one party rule for decades with a huge appetite for lavishly paying off its supporting special interest groups and special friends.
For thousands of retirees and businesses, it’s now “California in My Rearview Mirror”, to paraphrase a country western song title.
Those who are most able to support the state with taxes are moving to what few tax-friendly and lower cost of living states remain.
California cannot both attempt to squeeze out more tax dollars in a shrinking economy AND continue to support those at the public trough both legal and illegal.
I agree w/ #7
geez…
stop paying for all the illegal aliens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it is plain as day!!!
This will be called the California Depression. It started with the incredible increase in housing prices in California and spread to neighboring states like Nevada and Arizona. Did we get the windfall from these increased prices? Hardly. Let California start dealing with its own problems. We need to deal with the mess everywhere else the dimwitted Governor help create.
Just posting for my slice of $1B pie. I could pay my rent for 2-3 years up front, since that’s probably the biggest “debt” that I have, thanks to my own frugalness.
If I can’t make my car payment, they come and re-possess my car. If I can’t make my mortgage payment, my house goes into foreclosure. I say let California fail.
My collie says:
Great idea collie — but we also need to revoke the U.S. citizenship all the current inhabitants of California as well. We have to deny them re-entry — it’s the only way to get rid of all of the Hollywood liberals and their al-Gayda pals.
As a former California teacher, I know they are paid too much. A friend of mine makes ninety grand and teaches two classes a day. It’s all about seniority, and there’s so much turnover, it’s easy to move ahead into one of the million administrative positions. Even getting paid well, most feel it isn’t worth it in a place like Los Angeles.
I live in CA. It’s not just illegals that are eating up money.
This state has 175 departments and agencies. It has boards and commissions that meet four times a year, yet board members are paid nearly $200,000 yearly.
“Environmentalists” talk governments into locking up half the land in urban areas as “open space”, and then they bitch about “sprawl”. They block new roads and freeways, and then complain about “gridlock”.
Our school districts are FORCED, by LAW, to employee gardners, food service, and janitors as district employees. They are forbidden to contract out this work, which would save tens of millions of dollars per district.
We have tens of million of barrels of oil off our coast but we can’t touch it. The Legislature is just now considering an extraction tax for our oil on land, something which every other oil state already has.
It’s radical environmentalists, Stalinst unions, uncompromising ultra-liberals who have ruined by home state.
It’s a damn shame.
Wait just a minute there bucco! My wife and I are conservative through and through, and would love to get rid of many inhabitants of this state ourselves.
Before you go off revoking our U.S.citizenship, consider a trade for those of us who are trapped by our careers in the not-so-Golden State.
Conservative here in California are worth 4 liberals or 8 illegals in trade and 1 full time job each.
The wife and I will consider offers from Southern Oregon (as far away from Portland as possible), Colorado, Iowa, or Idaho as preferable, or any other state that is still at least marginally conservative.
C’mon let’s hear an offer! : )
Sorry Schwartzie baby! You cannot take care of half of Mexico’s illegals in your sanctuary cities and expect to keep a balanced budget! The first thing you should do is run out the Mayor of Los Angeles followed by Pelosi and the gang in Sacramento.
The ONLY good thing in California is Tom McClintock.
He ran against the RINO Gov for the recall election and was ousted (of course). His model for work comp reform was used by Arnie and WORKED to get the State Comp out of the red.
He just got elected to California’s 4th District as a Congressmen. He is fantastic.
Let Streisand sing them out of debt.
On December 1st, 2008 at 4:30 pm, malkin_fan said: Arnold=
RINOSocialist, there fixed it.Yes, I think that sums it up pretty nicely.
Gee, thanks “Tazed”. You know some of us who live here are honest, legal, tax paying and productive conservative minded citizens.
You are probably stuck in Minnesota wondering if a washed out comedian will be your next Senator.
Don’t be a hater. Where I live I can be in Yosemite in 45 minutes, 2 hours to the coast or 2.5 hours to the center of the digital world, Silicon Valley.
As for our illegals, the economy has sent quite a few packing but truthfully on balance they do work that would not get done otherwise.
That lettuce in your salad? You might like to know a caucasian hasn’t picked a head of lettuce in this state in 40 years. Don’t lay the entire blame on immigrants.
Check out what prison guards make here. $100k with overtime, easy.
Firefighters? On nearly every level 80 to 120k with overtime.
Arnold turned out to be a placater but he did try to put some change on the ballot.
Guess what, the Los Angeles inner city Dem babe cabal lobbied to kill any sort of change and the initiatives died.
Just remember when cretins call for California to drop off into the sea that real people are living here fighting the good fight.
#58
Huh, i will be down that way in about a month…
Yep, that’s my district! I’m glad that loser Charlie Brown didn’t win. He’s a Cindy Sheehan loving liberal. However, my county, for the first time in a long time, or even ever…went blue, for Obama. I couldn’t believe it. Must be all the liberal whack jobs moving here from the Bay Area.
On December 1st, 2008 at 10:16 pm, FireBlogger said: Firefighters? On nearly every level 80 to 120k with overtime.
@FireBlogger… May He grant you time to act…
Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? (Genesis 18:23-24)…
… later
The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here–sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here (Genesis 19:12)
There’s still time to leave just as the clarion call is heard…
QUIT SPENDING MONEY YOU DON’T HAVE, MORON!!!
Schwarzenegger is a joke and a panderer, and Kalifornia is getting what it deserves for constantly electing crooks who treat taxpayers and businesses like dirt and who genuflect to every kooky special interest group on the planet.
I’m a proud, happy Kali expat, and nothing on earth could make me go back.
That’s a cliche… Bill Gates would pick lettuce if the price were right. There are a lot of under-employed Americans who have to compete with the never-ending stream of low-wage worker from the third world… we can’t all be gummint workers.
Here in San Diego, we’re having the same problems that state has - unsustainable public employee benefits and pensions. There’s talk of bankruptcy. The public pension snowball has been rolling down the mountain for a long time now - we’re going to see it hit the village.
A good friend of mine is a paramedic who was called to the port of entry to pick up a woman in labor. He looked to the immigration inspectors who said, she is good to cross the border. He thought she was a US citizen and asked for her SSN. Turns out she is only legally a border crosser. She told him it was her second baby and what hospital she wanted to go to to give birth. Good news is this new US citizen will live with his mother in Mexico, but get to cross the border to go to school. If you go to the ports of entry with Mexico in the mornings you will see hundreds of student age US citizens who live in Mexico and go to school in California. Their parents obviously do not pay state taxes for schools here and more than likely do not pay the bills for the ambulance rides and hospital stays for us to bring their bundle of joys into the world. As long as California keeps up this kind of business, they deserve to go bankrupt. And I am tired of hearing the Teachers Unions whining about how they need more money because of school overcrowding.
Arnold decided that he would rather be liked than to do the right thing.
To anyone that thinks that sending federal money to California will help in any way is in for a big surprise. All federal money will be spent, and the deficit spending here will increase. Once they get that first taste of federal money, it will immediatly become a permanent and increasing demand on an annual basis. These demands will not be stopped even after this recession is long gone.
The good news for Californians, bad for the rest of us, is that the Governator is now eligible to run for President, now that the affirmative action electee has trashed the constitutional requirement for native birth.
Let’s apply some sorley missing common sense to this. All of these begger mooching states are havens of liberalism and/or “compassionate conservatism” with totally unaffordable welfare/entitlement programs aimed not only at truly needy citizens but non citizens as well (aka illegal invaders). So when all their compassion comes back to bite them in the b*tt, what od they do? No, not cut their budgets and entitlements. They come to the federal gov’t, which is also funded by ratioanl conservative states, to ask for $. Additionally, this is a very dangerous course in that when the states become completley dependent on the feds for budget $, all autonomy and states power will be stripped away. Selling their soul to the devil, in other words. I say SCREW CALIFORNIA and the rest of the parasite cittes/states. Cut you budgets or raise taxes but don’t ask me to help prop up your insane liberal policies. If they fail, then maybe the liberals might finally get a clue that we must be prudent with our $. I won’t hold my breath though. We are too far down the slippery slope of liberalism run amock and socialism to recover I am afraid.
All the states will follow california. Count on it.
Maybe he should Lobby Mexico City instead of the American Capitol…since half of his constituants have Mexico as their first, second..12th and only country they think first.
This is the problem with a weak governor and one-party rule in the state legislature.
God help us if Gavin Newsome succeeds Schwarzenegger.
robert537, your analysis is spot on. caleefornia has been using low wage illegal labor for decades to allow it’s yuppies to live the socal lifestyle, and support the never ending growth of overpaid underperforming gubmint leeches. ( teachers, dept of redundancy dept workers, police (revenue collectors in blue) firemen (or rather fire starters) and don’t forget the great dept of environment workers who have driven more business out of california than any other agency but still demands a raise each year) let’s see some government jobs being slashed to mirror the private sector. let’s see some government workers losing their homes. i’m ready to see some teachers union workers lose their tenured jobs because the businesses who pay the taxes to keep them afloat have gone under. my school district has relied on a chrysler assembly plant for years, and last year when the plant asked for a cut in taxes, they were denied, so they shut down one of the two plants, and are about to shut down the other. buh bye cash cow. now let’s see buh bye to the school districts lavish lifestyle.