OT: State budget balancer

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Submitted by ifyousayso on July 1, 2009 - 9:15pm

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-sta...

If I remove everything that LA times lists as an option excluding one time fixes and tax increases we're still in deficit.

I'm guessing that some fairly large expenses have been conveniently excluded. One thing that comes to mind is the fairly recently voter approved stem cell research. Wasn't that hugely costly? And aren't there 10 more things crazy expenses where that came from?

It seems to me that by excluding options the LA Times is implicitly trying to sway public opinion towards more tax increases. What do you think?

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You got that right Red
Submitted by Zeitgeist on July 1, 2009 - 9:37pm.

You got that right Red Ryder.

(No subject)
Submitted by flu on July 1, 2009 - 9:50pm.

Flu, that was great! LOL!!!
Submitted by luxuryglow on July 1, 2009 - 10:01pm.

Flu,
that was great! LOL!!!

state budget is $105B, the
Submitted by equalizer on July 2, 2009 - 12:36am.

state budget is $105B, the cuts in LAT options are only 5%-9% of the each category. Salaries comprise 80% of most segments, but they are untouchable, not even up for discussion. As barnaby33 has stated, CA is a high cost state. This is going to be a monumental fight.

My friend TG is a good guy who doesn't have to deal with these slime ball lobbyists. But these slime balls helped create this mess. Lakers lobby and the beer lobby stopped beer and ticket tax. Instead we had massive car and sales tax that hits the working poor.

The prison guard union has been #1 lobby for decades, while other unions are right behind them. That lobbying helped create structural problems (super benefits) that are much worse than other states. Try to get that union job at the LA port district, the office job not the super skilled crane workers job. Easier to get in to CalTech. Most of these union jobs are closed to general public. Good GM jobs had 5 year wait lists in 80's and 90's.

But what do I know? I'm just a slumdog. Coulda been a millionaire and be able to see a Lakers game if I just listened to TG and bought F and more GE back in March.

First, the reality is we have
Submitted by no_such_reality on July 2, 2009 - 6:50am.

First, the reality is we have about a $8 billion deficit compared to last year. We have a $24 billion deficit compared to the automatic planned increases built into the budget.

Think that one through and you understand exactly what drove the budget drama.

We've ham strung ourselves and instead of the budget being done and the department heads being responsible to best deliver their mission with the funding they have. That isn't on the table. Across the board cuts to balance the budget and then the expectation for each department to still do the best they can.

Nope, not in Cali. Do business with the State? You get an IOU. Sell products to the State? You get an IOU. Work as a State employee, not you, you get paid by legal decree.

Frankly, I hope Cali's credit rating getting trashed below many 3rd countries. It'll help force us to actually deal with the budget instead of playing shell games.

so salary and benefits of
Submitted by ifyousayso on July 2, 2009 - 9:38am.

so salary and benefits of workers make up 80% of the budget huh? What is the reason this is "untouchable"? And why can't they simply do layoffs and re-hire lower wage workers like private industry?

I don't even see these options being discussed anywhere....