http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/budget/ en-us Sun, 5 Jul 2009 16:04:06 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285959/posts When I heard Assemblyman Chuck DeVore in a radio interview saying a never-discussed part of the budget debate was how California's failure to aggressively implement the 1996 federal welfare reform act had kept its welfare rolls far bigger than other states, I asked him to show me where he was getting his info. He pointed me to a federal web site detailing the program created by the 1996 law to help get people off government assistance and into jobs: SNIP 32 percent were from California! 1,226,362! California has 36.8 million of the nation's 304 million people -- 12 percent. (I'm... San Diego Union Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285959/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 16:04:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285149/posts As California's fiscal crisis careened out of control with Thursday's issuance of IOUs, Democrats and Republicans remained deadlocked, largely over one of the state's biggest responsibilities: providing a safety net for poor and sick residents.At the center of the dispute is a question over how deeply the state should cut spending on health care for poor children, welfare payments to single mothers and in-home services for the elderly and the disabled.Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger initially wanted to eliminate such programs. But in the past week, the governor softened his stand, instead demanding deep cuts, the rooting out of fraud in the... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285149/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 23:42:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284490/posts Facing a budgetary crisis of its own making, California has begun to issue IOUs instead of cash payments to at least some of its creditors. For the first time since 1992, the state government has too little cash to meet its obligations. However, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger insisted that the state was “responsible” enough for banks to accept the IOUs at face value: California’s controller will start paying many of the state’s bills with promissory notes as soon as Thursday after lawmakers failed to close the state’s worsening budget deficit, adding a new measure of indignity to a state sinking deeper... HOTAIR.COM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284490/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 23:51:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284335/posts AP article. Posting link only. http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/02/ca-california-budget-070209/?california&zIndex=125886 San Diego Union Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284335/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:38:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284327/posts California has a $26 billion budget deficit and is now issuing IOU's to creditors. If you thought they would be working hard to solve the budget crisis, you would be wrong. They are debating Cow Tails. Unbelievable. Video here. Bluegrass Pundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284327/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:31:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284291/posts One of Chuck's staffers is live in Sacramento. He reports: "I'm standing on the west steps of the CA State Capitol right now, and there's a huge SEIU rally underway, opposing the budget cuts that will make SEIU a neutered force in politics -- and none too soon. There are literally thousands of purple-clad 'workers' here." Notice the sign in the back "I CAN'T MAKE IT - TAX EVERY BODY!" chuckdevore.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284291/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 18:37:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284096/posts If the stigma of issuing IOUs triggers a budget deal in the coming days, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger might find redemption in his strategy of quashing a stopgap solution that would have avoided those non-cash payments. But if no budget deal emerges soon, Schwarzenegger will have helped saddle the state with a lower credit rating and have nothing to show for it. As a negotiating strategy, Schwarzenegger is counting on public pressure to mount against the Legislature as California issues IOUs today for only the second time since the Great Depression. The Republican governor could have backed legislation to avert IOUs... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284096/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 14:55:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283710/posts Regulation: Ignoring the first rule of holes, a bankrupt state passing out IOUs welcomes an EPA waiver allowing it to further kill its economy. Too bad the state can't stop the air pollution imported from a growing China. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday granted California its long-standing request — denied by the Bush administration — for a waiver to allow it to impose even more stringent air pollution rules than currently required by the federal government.The way is now clear for implementation of a 2002 state law requiring new cars to increase their fuel economy 40% by 2016.... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283710/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 00:16:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283513/posts State senators didn't balance the budget Tuesday night, but their failure came only after some tense moments and a rare public scolding by one senator of another. At the center were three bills, already approved in a bipartisan fashion by the Assembly, which would have freed up enough cash to temporarily stave off the need to issue IOUs to pay state bills. All 25 Senate Dems ultimately voted for them; none of the 15 Senate Reeps did. For 45 minutes, the clerk dutifully called the roll of the senators who had yet to vote. That consisted of Sen. Abel Maldonado,... SacBee: Capitol Alert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283513/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 19:59:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283277/posts California is on the brink of issuing IOUs and state workers will take a third unpaid furlough day in July after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers failed to strike a budget compromise late Tuesday. By allowing the fiscal year to end without trimming $3.3 billion from the 2008-09 education budget, lawmakers and Schwarzenegger lost the chance to cut spending in a manner considered crucial to bridging the $24 billion deficit. Instead, Senate Republicans, Democrats and the GOP governor remained in a political standoff over other parts of the budget, particularly how much to slash health and welfare programs. Without... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283277/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 14:52:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282740/posts Tea Party Patriots have organized a Tea Party/Independence Day Celebration. Glendale Area Independence Tea Party July 3, 2009 3:00 – 7:00 pm 1823 Foothill Boulevard La Canada, CA 91011 $10.00 per person- cash Fully Catered Live Music Speeches Patriotism http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282740/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:23:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282426/posts The quest to balance the state budget remained mired in sharp rhetoric and fruitless votes Monday, as the clock ticked nearer to California running out of cash and paying its bills with IOUs. Senate Republicans blocked a trio of bills that promised to stave off the need for IOUs for a few weeks. Senate Democrats passed a budget-balancing package of seven bills that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said would be dead on arrival at his desk. The Republican governor has backed off initial demands to eliminate safety net programs such as welfare-to-work and Healthy Families insurance for low-income children to bridge... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282426/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:34:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281941/posts California is preparing to issue IOUs to its creditors this week as it grapples with an unprecedented cash crunch and prepares to begin its new fiscal year deep in the red. Once the US’s richest state, California now has the dubious distinction of having the worst credit rating in the country. .... FT.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281941/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:28:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281660/posts In a controversial simple-majority vote Sunday night, the state Assembly approved raising taxes on oil production and tobacco products as part of a Democratic budget proposal that closes most of the $24.3 billion budget shortfall through June 2010. But the plan met immediate resistance when a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed that the Republican would veto such an end run around GOP lawmakers. Bills containing new taxes normally require a two-thirds majority to be enacted. "He will veto any majority-vote budget fix," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "I think this shows that the Legislature is not yet serious about... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281660/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:30:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280925/posts The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel said Wednesday that the services are likely to have to shed personnel starting in 2013, given the increasing costs of equipment and other programs the Pentagon needs to win future fights. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., told reporters at a wide-ranging breakfast meeting in Washington that the Army’s chief of staff, Gen. George Casey, and Pentagon chief Robert Gates wanted to increase end strength for two years to stabilize a force stretched by frequent deployments with little time home for training and family life. Military.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280925/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:55:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280117/posts State Forced to Issue “IOUs” Without Immediate Budget Fix PR09:021 6/24/2009 Contact: HALLYE JORDAN 916-445-2636 SACRAMENTO – Today State Controller John Chiang announced that he will be forced to issue registered warrants – also known as IOUs – beginning July 2 if immediate budget and cash solutions are not quickly adopted by the Governor and Legislature. “Next Wednesday we start a fiscal year with a massively unbalanced spending plan and a cash shortfall not seen since the Great Depression,” Chiang said. “The State’s $2.8 billion cash shortage in July grows to $6.5 billion in September, and after that we see... California State Controller's Office http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280117/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:41:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279747/posts Afew [sic] hours after California voters approved his Proposition 13 tax-cut measure on June 6, 1978, a bibulous and exultant Howard Jarvis dropped his pants for the benefit of a few reporters gathered in his suite at the L.A. Biltmore Hotel. A reporter had asked Jarvis why he was limping, so his ostensible reason was to show a large, ugly bruise, which he'd suffered in a fall a few days before, on his ample, boxer-clad behind. The surprise gesture, however, also afforded the earthy and profane Jarvis a chance to display his contempt for the press and, by extension, the... Los Angeles Times / latimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279747/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:49:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279414/posts Unusually unified legislators were moving today to prevent the state from issuing IOUs next week by delaying some payments to schools and local governments - but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned he would veto the maneuver. On votes of 69-0 and 54-0, Assembly members passed two of three bills designed to free up cash and buy the state time while legislators and Schwarzenegger wrestle with the bigger task of healing a gaping wound in the state budget. The third bill was also expected to be approved by the Assembly, and the state Senate was also expected to pass them. But in... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279414/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:56:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2279236/posts I was educated in California and sometime within that process the Values Clarification dilemma called “the Lifeboat exercise” was taught in a class that I took. As I remember it the class was broken up into small groups and given the following scenario; we were asked to imagine that a ship has sunk and a lifeboat had been put out from it. Each of us was just one of the members on that boat yet the lifeboat is overcrowded and in danger of being swamped unless the load is lightened. We were given a description of other passengers in the... Creating Orwellian Worldview http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2279236/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:12:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279175/posts California's budget mess got even messier Wednesday, with the failure of legislators to reach a compromise on spending cuts, the state controller warning he will issue IOUs next week instead of checks, and no clear idea of what to do next."How can the people of California have a clue what we're doing if we don't?" asked Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, as the Assembly debated a proposal to make $11 billion in program cuts to help plug a $24.3 billion budget hole.Nielsen's comment was in reference to the fact that GOP legislators didn't receive copies of the inches-thick bill until an... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279175/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:52:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279116/posts In recent years, America's fiscal story has been one of steady decline -- from record surpluses to record deficits. In 2001, the federal government had a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion. Today, we are looking at a fiscal year 2009 deficit of $1.7 trillion. A number of factors have brought us to this cash-strapped point, including reckless tax cuts, the cost of two wars, entitlement programs that have grown on autopilot, and the necessary, though costly, efforts to get our economy out of recession. But by far the worst decision was the abandonment in the Bush years of the... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279116/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:31:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279087/posts If a tree falls in Brazil, it will, in fact, be heard in the U.S. - at least if a little-noticed provision in the pending climate-change bill in Congress becomes law. As part of the far-reaching climate bill, the House is set to vote Friday on a plan to pay companies billions of dollars not to chop down trees around the world, as a way to reduce global warming. The provision, called "offsets," has been attacked by both environmentalists and business groups as ineffective and poorly designed. Critics contend it would send scarce federal dollars overseas to plant trees when... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279087/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:05:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278633/posts The California Legislature on Wednesday voted down $11 billion in cuts to state services, sending members back to the drawing board as they grapple with a $24 billion budget gap. Reuters/YahooNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278633/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:43:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278625/posts To hear Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state finance officials tell it, July 28 is California's last stand before fiscal Armageddon. Top financial officers say that's when the state will run out of cash to pay its daily expenses unless lawmakers pass a balanced budget. Schwarzenegger has warned that government will come to a "grinding halt." The state controller describes "a meltdown." AP/YahooNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278625/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:32:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278593/posts SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Californians seem to want it all, says first lady Maria Shriver. They oppose billions of dollars in cuts to address the state's massive budget deficit but are not willing to pay more for the services they enjoy. The first lady, visiting Sacramento on Tuesday for the opening of an Abraham Lincoln exhibit at the California Museum, said people talk to her all the time about California's $24.3 billion budget shortfall and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed solutions. Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts include eliminating health care for nearly 1 million poor children, increasing class sizes in public schools, slashing in-home... AP via SacBee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278593/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:43:15 GMT