Comments on: U.S. Refuses To Bail Out California

Washington Post: In Face Of "Fiscal Meltdown," Geithner And Others Decide State Can Hold On, Get Budget In Order

[uopkid]

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/266.html

For the last several years money has been getting siphoned out of the state of California to pay for other states projects. Would it be such a big deal now to lend a helping hand to California this time around instead of using us as the cash cow for the rest of the nation.

[pensacola8-2009]

News reporters are hungry for something to report. Organized crime has California on their radar screen and everyone can bet the unrest that is imminent in the next 60 days will be fodder for the country's media appetite.

The NRA is planning to advertise promoting gun sales for personal security in the event that organized crime escalates in California knowing little can be done to oppose them.

Federal Medicare auditors are already scrutinizing claims in California to find frauds and cheats.

The Department of Homeland security is stepping up drug enforcement survellance activities with expectations that international drug trades are planning to pursue weaker paths of resistance expected to occur. Drug gang fighting seen in Mexico in major cities is expected to occur in California major cities as drug gangs fight for increased profit.

The State of California is destined to become the re-enactment of Chicago in the 1930's.

The property values are expected to decline 40% and nearly 80% of all mortgages are expected to be upside-down in California.

The Republican Party in California will struggle for a positive face in the crisis and intensify efforts to discredit the Democrats.

The first political party in California to be confirmed to have affiliations with organized crime will have the biggest burden playing it down. Some feel both parties have already planted their opponents with political discreditation traps.

If California collapses, the political party that survives and revives the state becomes the leading political party for the country in 2012.

[schadmin]

In actuality, Arnold doesn't take a salary. He has voluntarily forfeited his pay.

[CarolJWright]

The whole thing started with the state trying to equalize the distribution of property taxes, as the property taxes were to pay for local schools. Rich areas got better schools paid with for their taxes, while poor districts got a bad deal. When property taxes were being paid by rich areas, and their direct schools no longer benefited, that caused a ruckus. Also, at the time, real estate values were skyrocketing absurdly high, and retired people were being forced out of their homes cause they couldn't pay peoperty taxes.
This from Wikipedia:
Under Proposition 13, the annual real estate tax on a parcel of property is limited to 1% of its assessed value. This "assessed value," however, may only be increased by a maximum of 2% per year, until and unless the property undergoes a change in ownership. At the time of the change in ownership the low assessed value may be reassessed to full current market value which will produce a new base year value for the property, but future assessments are likewise restricted to the 2% annual maximum increase of the new base year value.

So, my mom (age 88 with Alzheimer's) pays little in property taxes...she's lived in the house since 1950, while the new neighbors pay taxes on the more realistic value. THEN the real estate bust happened, and people bailed on taxes or had their houses reassessed to current lower levels. It's a mess.

Prop. 13 is one of the causes of the problems here. The 2/3 vote issue ends up with just a few (or ONE) legislator dictating the whole budget, holding out for pet projects or legislation.

The budget is over so much that most suggestions here won't touch the problem. Even eliminating all the prisons totally wouldn't balance this state's budget.

[woeisme1]

California always was considered and always will be considered weird.

[woeisme1]

I might move to another whole country!

[sjc_1]

Proposition 13 limited property tax to 1% of assessed value only to be assessed at sale. 30 years of this has caused schools to drop from the top 5 to the bottom 5 and the state to go from one budget crisis to another. There is your Reagan revolution, higher deficits and debts, lower service and budget binds.

[Ceres6]

Once again, whenever the nation has economic difficulties, undocumented aliens are blamed. People have to understand that the financial problems in California, and the rest of the nation as well, was caused mostly by the greedy crooks in Wall Street, and by the voracious business executives who obtained hundreds of billions of dollars in huge bonuses. I am pretty sure that if a big asteroid or a comet becomes a terrible danger to planet Earth, illegal aliens will be blamed and punished for that.

[uopkid]

So you are saying that people that come here illegally SHOULD get benefits?

[gravyboat3000]

by cdegolier June 16, 2009 2:24 PM PDT
One thing that will save 10 billion is cutting off all illegals. Another raise the retirement age for all state employees to 65 and lower the pensions.

Illegal immigration is the FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS RESPONSIBILITY, NOT THE STATES.

Perhaps, if the Federal Govt. took IT'S job in this arena more seriously, California wouldn't be in this predicament?

Come on, Prez, hook a State up, and send an army of Immigration officials to boot the illegals out!

(ALL administratons say they will fix immigration, but NONE of them do)

Meanwhile, if I needed to go to an E.R., here in SoCal, I'm waiting behind a bunch of Mexicans who don't speak english with snotty nosed kids, a bunch of poor white/black/hispanic/ Americans who don't have insurance and a handful of drunks who were arrested for falling down in public.

I'M MOVING TO AMISH COUNTRY!!!

[woeisme1]

I might move to another whole country!

[gravyboat3000]

We should break away from the Republic! Form our own armed forces, and threaten our neighbors!

Works for Lil' Kim...

Arnold to the rest of the U.S. "Who is yo daddy, and what does he do?".

Pay up, beeeyotches, or we'll keep you all from comin to Disneyland, and Knott's Berry Farm, the wine country, and San Francisco!

And don't even think about the San Diego Zoo, or the Wild Animal Park, my boys are there now, makin sure they get anyone with Arizona, Nevada, or Oregon plates...

(Mexican plates are subject to familial affiliation)...