California Controller To Suspend Tax Refunds, Welfare Checks, Student Grants

LA Times ^ | January 17, 2009

[Steelfish]

California controller to suspend tax refunds, welfare checks, student grants John Chiang announces that his office will suspend $3.7 billion in payments owed to Californians starting Feb. 1, because with no budget in place the state lacks sufficient cash to pay its bills.

By Evan Halper and Patrick McGreevy January 17, 2009 Reporting from Sacramento --

The state will suspend tax refunds, welfare checks, student grants and other payments owed to Californians starting Feb. 1, Controller John Chiang announced Friday. Chiang said he had no choice but to stop making some $3.7 billion in payments in the absence of action by the governor and lawmakers to close the state's nearly $42-billion budget deficit. More than half of those payments are tax refunds. John Chiang In San Diego, financial free fall -- and... California to delay some payments Southern California officials draw up wish lists for federal stimulus money

The controller said the suspended payments could be rolled into IOUs if California still lacks sufficient cash to pay its bills come March or April. "It pains me to pull this trigger," Chiang said at a news conference in his office. "But it is an action that is critically necessary."

The payments to be frozen include nearly $2 billion in tax refunds; $300 million in cash grants for needy families and the elderly, blind and disabled; and $13 million in grants for college students.

[ArchAngel1983]

”Oh Crap, now they will be coming to Arizona!"

Yeap, and bringing all their deeply held beliefs with them; the same beliefs that coincidently destroyed their current host state. BORG invasion; & resistance of course, is futile.

[Poison Pill]

California controller to suspend tax refunds

Theft, pure and simple.

[Fast Moving Angel]

There was some talk recently of not paying the legislators until a budget was passed. Good idea, but since the legislators control this type of action, it’ll never fly.

[jgilbert63]

I missed the part in the article where the state legislature and state senior officials are going without their paychecks (he said sarcastically)

[Poison Pill]

I wonder if a taxpayer who is denied a refund can now force the State into bankruptcy?

I was wondering the same.

[informavoracious]

Exactly right. No one wants the blind and elderly to suffer. Unfortunately they get lumped in with the tens of thousands of disability fakers.

[Oldpuppymax]

Suspend welfare checks? Oakland should be fun to watch!

[ASOC]

Which book? - if you would help my memory - I read three of them, and cannot seem to recall that point. Did I miss a book?

[DesertRhino]

Reason 263 why i like Sarah. She isn’t from an easy life, big money background.

[Nea Wood]

Suspend welfare checks? Oakland should be fun to watch!

There are going to be riots, and not just in Oakland. God help us, is all I can say.

[AU72]

Never set your witholding so high the the gubmit owes you money when due. They have enough of your dough as it is.

[IllumiNaughtyByNature]

Yeah, that surprised me. Since when do RATS not pay non-workers?

[Liz]

"Ach der lieber.....Kaleefurrneeah bankrupt? Duz dat mean
I gotda chainch my plans abat runnin for prezeedunt?"

" Chonny and Wooty, you two RINOS bettah make udder plans.
Ai gotda vunny veeling dah Reepublucan Potty tinks RINOS are pure crapola."

" Ai hear RINOS kin get jobs as Val-Mart greeters, Home Depot paint mixers
unt McD's ketchop pumpers, or vaiters at Ved Lopstah."

"Ai kiss anyboty's tookus to gets dah money to bailout Kaleefurnia. Mebee Ai
trow Maria off dah ski livt at Sun Valley. Ai getda nashynal symputty ven
anodder Kennedee goes kaput."

[yankeedame]

California is acting like a monarchy.

Complete with "forced loans" to the crown.

[Trajan88]

One of my former co-workers and her husband moved to the Left coast about 5 years ago... they threw in the towel and came back here to the great state of Tejas (ooops, Texas)... much more business friendly environment (my current employer moved much of their northern Cali. operations here in '03).

Another thing... no state income tax is a very good thang... God blessed the Lone Star State ;-)

[Hardastarboard]

We should never elect anyone who lived a life of big, easy money.

I tend to agree, although George W. Bush was raised wealthy (or maybe that makes your point, depending on how you view "W"). I would also point out that Arnold's father was a policeman in Austria who always told his son that he would never amount to anything, that his brother was the one who would make something of himself (can you name Arnold's brother? I can't).

Nobody gave Arnold anything. He came to America a broke immigrant, and literally worked his ass off to become Mr. Olympia, the highest title in professional body building, seven times.

Which leads me (and perhaps you) to wonder - WTF anyone who had to work hard for everything he ever got (until of course he married Maria Shriver), be a LIBERAL?!?!? That's the piece of the puzzle that doesn't make any sense to me.

[The Duke]

Suspending welfare checks = riots in the streets. And, riots in a single city can become nationwide (at least this is what recently happened in Greece).

This is a ploy to force a federal bailout - but I would like to see it come about. Ending welfare would be like throwing up - it's bothersome when you do it, but you feel so much better afterwards.

[XenaLee]

Let the riots begin. And I can’t think of a more deserving “”liberal utopia”” for it to start things off in.

Welcome to the “hope and change” of an Obamanation.

[EVO X]

and snail-mail the IRS a check one minute before midnight 04/15.

I snail mail mine around April fools day..

[Sir Francis Dashwood]

"Ai kiss anyboty's tookus to gets dah money to bailout Kaleefurnia. Mebee Ai trow Maria off dah ski livt at Sun Valley. Ai getda nashynal symputty ven anodder Kennedee goes kaput."

LOL!