Brown wants more state spending and taxes (Vallejo, Berkeley: go bankrupt, salaries)

[Reason42]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Unfortunately spending per pupil is a poor predictor of school performance. So this data doesn't have much to do with education. Instead it is all about spending.

My apologies. Brevity is a necessity as I work alot...

That is my position. We spend enough... We need to demand better results...

This will not occur by giving teachers, and their union more...

[Fargobound]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

All these other programs and 'boondoggles' added up together aren't a drop in the bucket to the magnitude of the problem.

The programs you cite, while seemingly silly, are nothing. And wastefulness is always a good target for better management.

I think you might want to look at the broader picture since you claim pension reform. California’s government does not know the meaning of downsizing or better management. When public money is going out to fix a private personal problem we have to look the public employees behind it.

I wonder how many Bureau of Automotive Repair and California Air Resources Board employees we could fire if we weren’t paying private citizens to repair or junk their cars. Someone has to do the admin work and write the checks. Most people don’t even bother to look at their registration cards to see where the money is going.

If you car does not pass smog you don’t get tags anyways. It sounds like it works itself out naturally IMO.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by Fargobound

I think you might want to look at the broader picture since you claim pension reform. California’s government does not know the meaning of downsizing or better management. When public money is going out to fix a private personal problem we have to look the public employees behind it.

I wonder how many Bureau of Automotive Repair and California Air Resources Board employees we could fire if we weren’t paying private citizens to repair or junk their cars. Someone has to do the admin work and write the checks. Most people don’t even bother to look at their registration cards to see where the money is going.

If you car does not pass smog you don’t get tags anyways. It sounds like it works itself out naturally IMO.

You miss my point. Whether the program is silly or not ... whether the program is a waste of money or not ... add up its costs ... compare them to the magnitude of the state's challenge ... not a blip on the radar. In your frustration at what you see as wasteful (maybe it is, maybe not) you are allowing yourself to focus on peanuts and not the elephant that ate them. Programs such as you cite are not the cause of California's current fiscal challenge. The state could afford such programs, wasteful, or sensible, or whatever back when everyone was on a roll. Then the roll rolled over ..... Oooops. It was the real estate bubble that caused the whole thing to collapse. However stupid the state was with various programs, the economy was generating sufficient revenue to cover everything. Now it is not. And auto emissions programs aren't the reason.

I am suggesting that you focus on the biggest issues / expenses first. You'll never straighten out the state's budget by hacking away at a handful of rotten peanuts. The elephant is eating those peanuts faster than you can analyze the rot. Deal with the elephant.

[Fargobound]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

I am suggesting that you focus on the biggest issues / expenses first. You'll never straighten out the state's budget by hacking away at a handful of rotten peanuts. The elephant is eating those peanuts faster than you can analyze the rot. Deal with the elephant.

The problem is Sacramento does not want to shoot any of its elephants. It expects cities, counties and citizens in this circus to keep punting up more peanuts. It’s time to start going after the peanuts and I don’t care how many are in the bag.

Then again the last time I looked the CARB budget is now over a half a billion dollars, not bad for an organization that generates nothing, but regulation.

[dmode]

Nice right wing talking points. But you guys do realize that California has one of LEANEST government workforce in the country. And even within that most of the workforce is employed the UC and CSU systems.

To understand CA's budget problems, you have to understand the CAs dependence on volatile revenue streams - income taxes and capital gains. Almost all other states depend upon property taxes, sales taxes and corporate taxes for their budget. CA's budget make-up has a disproportionate dependency on income taxes and capital gains that are very volatile during economic downturns.

[skelaki]

What else would you expect from "Governor Moonbeam"?

[dmode]

Originally Posted by skelaki

What else would you expect from "Governor Moonbeam"?

Not sure why the hatred towards "Governor Moonbeam". He has delivered more in 1 year than governor body-builder in two terms. The CA budget problem has been very well addressed with deficits projected to be around $9 B from 26 B last year. I am also betting on additional revenue due to the economic recovery next year significantly addressing budget problems..

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by dmode

To understand CA's budget problems, you have to understand the CAs dependence on volatile revenue streams - income taxes and capital gains. Almost all other states depend upon property taxes, sales taxes and corporate taxes for their budget. CA's budget make-up has a disproportionate dependency on income taxes and capital gains that are very volatile during economic downturns.

I agree with this. But the legislature compounds the problem by over-spending during the good years. And the spending seems to involve multi-year programs that commit spending, even during lean revenue years.

[Fargobound]

Originally Posted by dmode

Nice right wing talking points. But you guys do realize that California has one of LEANEST government workforce in the country.

A lot of people like to say that California has the leanest government per capita, but when the per capita is broken down we’re really not the leanest. There are a lot of dregs that are just here for the free coffee and doughnuts. They’re not paying much into the way to support government.

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[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by Fargobound

A lot of people like to say that California has the leanest government per capita, but when the per capita is broken down we’re really not the leanest. There are a lot of dregs that are just here for the free coffee and doughnuts. They’re not paying much into the way to support government.

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States have to pay the costs of illegal immigration but they can't do anything about it.