I could easily resolve California's budget crisis. Within a matter of months. (Los Angeles: low income, bankruptcy)

[Ludachris]

Here's another idea - scrap all the "seniority-based" public employment policies and change them to "performance-based". This way, CA will have more efficient/better performing employees. This, along with my previous suggestions should help:

- Increase all traffic violation fines by 50% across the board.

- Increase fines for all other illegal activity across the board by 50%.

- Aggressively go after the parents of minors who get fined (especially for vandalism).

- Revisit Prop 13 and raise property taxes gradually over a 3 year period for those benefiting from it, capping out at 20% less than the current rate everyone else pays.

- Drop all social services and make everyone reapply with much more strict standards and reduce the number of people served by 25%.

- Cut state employee benefits/pensions down like the rest of the workforce has seen. From what I've read, they enjoy benefits similar to the ones that killed the American auto makers.

- Force the rich (who claim that they are responsible for creating jobs) to prove that they are, in fact, creating jobs - or raise their taxes significantly if they cannot provide that proof. Not nice, I know, but they can live elsewhere where contributing to the economy isn't as important if they want.

- Heavily fine companies who hire illegal workers as well as any person or business that help illegal workers obtain fraudulent documents. Offer rewards to people for reporting these businesses.

I wouldn't raise taxes right now. If anything, I'd find ways to lower them to make the state more business-friendly in order to work toward bringing more businesses to the state and increase tax revenue over the long term.

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by ryanst530

good lord, you fail at common sense buddy....

Raise taxes?! are you friggen kidding me???

no.

gas tax???! Gas is taxed like crazy already in the state of california... if you do your research, cali is usually always #1 in the nation for highest gas prices.

What we ought to be doing is getting rid of all the warm n fuzzy B.S. state run programs we got. Slash state welfare, reduce pay to the school adminstrators making over $100k a year, get rid of the shovel-leaners working for caltrans, get rid of all of the other non-sense state programs aimed at illegal immigrants, and cut state medicare.

Oh yeah, and while were at it, lets bleed off the prison population a bit by executing all of the scumbags in the system.

THAT will only begin to fix this state's problems

That was a list of things that DIDN'T FLY. Not the OP's suggestions.

[Weekend Traveler]

Just because you raise fees and fines does not mean the government is going to actually raise the money. Either the people will not be able to pay or they will pay and then will not have money for rent or spending things in the community.

Cut social services and the man with a 60 IQ with physical and mental disabilities will just be homeless and we will pay another way.

Originally Posted by Ludachris

Here's another idea - scrap all the "seniority-based" public employment policies and change them to "performance-based". This way, CA will have more efficient/better performing employees. This, along with my previous suggestions should help:

- Increase all traffic violation fines by 50% across the board.

- Increase fines for all other illegal activity across the board by 50%.

- Aggressively go after the parents of minors who get fined (especially for vandalism).

- Revisit Prop 13 and raise property taxes gradually over a 3 year period for those benefiting from it, capping out at 20% less than the current rate everyone else pays.

- Drop all social services and make everyone reapply with much more strict standards and reduce the number of people served by 25%.

- Cut state employee benefits/pensions down like the rest of the workforce has seen. From what I've read, they enjoy benefits similar to the ones that killed the American auto makers.

- Force the rich (who claim that they are responsible for creating jobs) to prove that they are, in fact, creating jobs - or raise their taxes significantly if they cannot provide that proof. Not nice, I know, but they can live elsewhere where contributing to the economy isn't as important if they want.

- Heavily fine companies who hire illegal workers as well as any person or business that help illegal workers obtain fraudulent documents. Offer rewards to people for reporting these businesses.

I wouldn't raise taxes right now. If anything, I'd find ways to lower them to make the state more business-friendly in order to work toward bringing more businesses to the state and increase tax revenue over the long term.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Weekend Traveler

Just because you raise fees and fines does not mean the government is going to actually raise the money. Either the people will not be able to pay or they will pay and then will not have money for rent or spending things in the community.

Cut social services and the man with a 60 IQ with physical and mental disabilities will just be homeless and we will pay another way.

Also, jacking up fees and fines is part of the fiscal model that got CA into this trouble to begin with.

[Ludachris]

Originally Posted by Weekend Traveler

Just because you raise fees and fines does not mean the government is going to actually raise the money. Either the people will not be able to pay or they will pay and then will not have money for rent or spending things in the community.

Cut social services and the man with a 60 IQ with physical and mental disabilities will just be homeless and we will pay another way.

Not all who take advantage of the social services actually "need" them. It CAN be cut back and still serve all those who need it. The point is to cut off those who don't need it but depend on it.

[Ludachris]

Originally Posted by majoun

Also, jacking up fees and fines is part of the fiscal model that got CA into this trouble to begin with.

And that's why some solutions should be temporary and some longer term when things are more balanced. Some people would rather see higher taxes as a short term solution. I'd rather be more aggressive with fines combined with massive spending cuts. The only taxes I'd propose raising are those who are protected by Prop 13 property taxes - and even then, I'd propose keeping a tax break for those people, just not as huge as they have now.

Mostly spending cuts, raise fines, raise a few specific taxes. But overall, work towards lowering taxes and reducing spending.

[Weekend Traveler]

Rarely is a temporary fee a short term fix, once it is set then we are stuck with it. It is the model of local and state government. During boom times everyone demands top notch services and the government can afford to offer them, but during the down times people still want them and they are forced to raise taxes and fees to pay for the services. Once the economy comes back the temporary fees are not eliminated.

[nicmey]

California is just a heroine addict that's about to hit bottom, and will have to make the conscious decision of whether to live or die.

[bluebeard]

As I said in another thread: the long-term solution would be to reform the system. Decrease, but not eliminate, direct-democracy (so that spending measures aren't so easy to pass), and make it a simple majority to pass bills. THen solutions will be worked out politically.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by nicmey

California is just a heroine addict that's about to hit bottom, and will have to make the conscious decision of whether to live or die.

So where's CA's "methadone"?