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California's worthless Legislature (Time to start over?)
SFGate.com ^ | 11/27/08 | Jim Boren

Posted on 11/27/2008 10:18:01 AM PST by NormsRevenge

As the final embarrassing days of California's special legislative session slip away with no state budget solution in sight, the 40 members of the state Senate and 80 members of the Assembly have once again proved the wisdom of my call to abolish the Legislature. They are a worthless group that individually and collectively have ignored the state's toughest problems. On Tuesday's budget vote, some lawmakers didn't even bother to show up.

The Democrats' budget bill didn't get the required two-thirds votes to pass and the Republicans didn't offer up an alternative. This is the best our lawmakers can offer: A budget bill that had no chance of passing, and childish sniping by both sides.

The Democrats wouldn't even fix sick leave and overtime abuse that costs the state close to $100 million a year, and the Republicans could have had their spending cap, but they changed their demand to an "economic stimulus," which showed they weren't serious about getting a budget agreement in the first place.

Meanwhile, the budget gap grows, and California could run out of money in February. Right now, the deficit will be about $28 billion over the next 20 months. State government is going to collapse and legislators can't get out of town soon enough. Good idea. Let's get rid of them all.

The so-called Big Five - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Senate President Pro Tem-designate Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines and Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill - must be very proud. Their leadership has given Californians a Big Fat Nothing. They are presiding over the bankruptcy of California.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: calbudget; california; calstimulus; legislature; schwarzenegger; worthless
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1 posted on 11/27/2008 10:18:01 AM PST by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

Ah, yes, the California Lege...the poster children for the Seventeenth Amendment.


2 posted on 11/27/2008 10:19:59 AM PST by RichInOC (Obama/Biden '08: "We Are Not Ruled By Murderers, But Only--By Their Friends."--Rudyard Kipling)
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To: NormsRevenge
They are a worthless group that individually and collectively have ignored the state's toughest problems.

Good! The less they "do" the less damage they can cause. You gotta know that whatever they pass will only spend more money we don't have and enact regulations that reduce revenue to the state treasury and deprive us of more freedoms.

3 posted on 11/27/2008 10:21:27 AM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all.)
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To: Texas Eagle

“No mans life liberty or property is safe when the legislature is in session”

Mark Twain


4 posted on 11/27/2008 10:24:07 AM PST by Kozak (USA 7/4/1776 to 1/20/2009 Requiescat In Pace)
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To: NormsRevenge
For those who thought term limits would fix it: I told you all we would get is a parade of ignorant shills.

Here we are! Do you feel better yet?

As much as Willie Brown was a crook, he was THEIR crook, and he was a competent crook. It beats what we've got now, a claque of paper cut-outs representing goodness knows whom.

5 posted on 11/27/2008 10:25:22 AM PST by Carry_Okie (If Barack Obama is Vladamir Lenin, Bill Ayers is Leon Trotsky.)
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To: NormsRevenge
Here's a start.

One house legislature. Meets 6 months every other year, unless there's a real emergency.

No benefits to illegal aliens (save $14 billion a year).

No state funds to sanctuary cities.

Stop all the gorebull warming nonsense and eliminate the state capital gain tax.

Privatize two prisons to save money. Rinse and repeat.

Vouchers

And that's just the first year.

6 posted on 11/27/2008 10:25:33 AM PST by nufsed
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To: Kozak

That Mark Twain was one smart cookie.


7 posted on 11/27/2008 10:27:37 AM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all.)
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To: NormsRevenge
Right now, the deficit will be about $28 billion over the next 20 months.

Geez, that's about the burn rate for GM over the next 10-12 months.

8 posted on 11/27/2008 10:28:20 AM PST by umgud (I'm really happy I wasn't aborted)
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To: NormsRevenge
Kalifornia has the best Legislature money can buy!
9 posted on 11/27/2008 10:29:14 AM PST by mad_as_he$$ (Nemo me impune lacessit.)
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To: NormsRevenge

....good luck with that....:(


10 posted on 11/27/2008 10:30:03 AM PST by Tzimisce (http://groups.myspace.com/nailthemessiah)
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To: nufsed

Also, declare bankruptcy, invalidate every contract that the state has with public employee unions. Perhaps put new alternative contracts on the ballot with specific amounts of per capita tax that each one will cost, and a detailed list of the salaries and benefits that in the contracts, and let the people choose how much they are willing to pay for.


11 posted on 11/27/2008 10:38:46 AM PST by mhx
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To: mhx
Wonder what all the implications of the bankruptcy thing are for a governmental entity. Leverage on the union issues would be great.

BTW Jerry Brown signed the state employee collective bargaining legislation just before midnight on his last day in office.

12 posted on 11/27/2008 10:45:33 AM PST by nufsed
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To: NormsRevenge

California is far past having any sort of “reset” button.

It’s only a matter of time.


13 posted on 11/27/2008 10:48:06 AM PST by Cringing Negativism Network (PALIN 2012: No more RINOS... Ever!!)
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To: nufsed

North Dakota’s state legislature meets for 60 days (working days) every other year-the January after the previous November election. The state House and Senate each actually have only about thirty legislative days to get their work done-the bills cross over to the group for consideration.
They get it done!


14 posted on 11/27/2008 10:50:02 AM PST by Maine Mariner
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To: Maine Mariner

IIRC correctly Kentucky is every other year and Nebraska is one-house? Anybody?


15 posted on 11/27/2008 10:51:40 AM PST by nufsed
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To: nufsed

Yes Nebraska has a one house legislature.


16 posted on 11/27/2008 10:54:28 AM PST by Maine Mariner
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To: Maine Mariner

Thanx................giving


17 posted on 11/27/2008 11:00:58 AM PST by nufsed
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To: NormsRevenge
the Republicans could have had their spending cap, but they changed their demand to an "economic stimulus"

Okay, so which Schwarzenegger-adoring pubbie legislator added this nonsense?

18 posted on 11/27/2008 11:17:48 AM PST by calcowgirl ("Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink." P. J. O'Rourke)
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To: RichInOC

When Ca. citizens continue to elect the same naifs year after year and still get deficits , horrid social welfare programs, stuff for illegals, liberal secularists trying to change our heritage, of the same Democrat Party , it is now an act of madness, insanity. Liberals , in fact, are insane and do not think it so they do the same old tiresome socialist pacifist things decade after decade and it still doesn’t work! And Arnold is no better nowadays.


19 posted on 11/27/2008 11:59:14 AM PST by phillyfanatic ( iT)
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To: Maine Mariner

ND’s legislature also happens to be Republican.


20 posted on 11/27/2008 1:04:30 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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