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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
11:26 AM TweetThis
  • Talk about a budget problem. If California rejects three budget balancing measures next week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may be forced to release 40,000 prisoners or fire 51,000 teachers.
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This news story has 11 comments:

  •  
    Prisoners? Teachers? Is there a difference?

    Oh yeah. Teachers try and educate kids so they don't end up in jail. God bless 'em!

    Prisoners try and educate kids so that they DO end up in jail! Keep em there.
    May 12 11:52 AM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Interesting the numbers of each are so close...
    May 12 11:54 AM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Here is another suggestion, Arnie. What % of the total number of teachers is 51,000? Reduce paychecks by that percentage. Even a better idea. Eliminate The California Grape Council, the California Wine Council, the California Waste Management Advisory Board, etc, etc, etc. There is so much bloat in your "budget" I am surprised it has not effected the stress measurements on the San Andreas Fault line.
    May 12 12:01 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Actually releasing 40,0000 prisoners OR laying off 51,000 teachers is just a sample of some of the jaw boning tactics currently being employed by Schwarzenegger IF his three funding propositions are NOT passed… here are a few of the options he is suggesting…

    …"cutting the state fire fighting budget by 10 percent; releasing 40,0000 non-violent, non-sex offender inmates; laying off either 51,000 teachers or 90,000 janitors, cooks and bus drives; shutting down public schools for 18 days a year or boosting class sizes by 17 percent; and siphoning $2 billion meant for local governments to pay for services such as fire fighters and police officers."

    When government bureaucrats have funding shortfalls, they always propose cuts in essential services as opposed to cutting PORK. Are their really ZERO NON-ESSENTIAL services and programs that can be cut? The government is 100% efficient? Rubbish!
    May 12 12:02 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Would anyone even notice 40,000 more ex-prisoners in a state with a population of over 36.7Million!? Doubtful!
    May 12 12:20 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Exactly, There goes California and so goes the Nation. Just wait for a couple of years.

    On May 12 12:02 PM User 283977 wrote:
    > When government bureaucrats have funding shortfalls, they always
    > propose cuts in essential services as opposed to cutting PORK. Are
    > their really ZERO NON-ESSENTIAL services and programs that can be
    > cut? The government is 100% efficient? Rubbish!
    May 12 12:23 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Unless its your daughter that gets killed by a drunk driver.

    On May 12 12:20 PM RJMoran wrote:
    > Would anyone even notice 40,000 more ex-prisoners in a state with
    > a population of over 36.7Million!? Doubtful!
    May 12 12:24 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    These are serious problems which are not just confined to California.
    Look at the MTA here in NY. New Yorkers are facing some of the biggest tax increases known to mankind.

    Why? Not because the MTA does not make money. No. They make hundreds of millions of dollars a day. They bring in more than enough in daily revenue to run the day to day operations, keep the system running and upgrade the entire transportation system.
    So what's the problem you ask? Simple.

    You have employees with only high school educations, earning $70K a year as toll collectors, having full 100% health coverage (no deductions, eye coverage, dental, etc), full guaranteed pensions (so if stocks go to zero and the pension is wiped out, the taxpayers are forced to refill the coffers), and that does not even include the absurd overtime they can earn.

    The reality of the situation should be:
    The same worker should be getting paid $40K a year
    Pay 35% of their health insurance premiums
    Have a pension that has the same risk, as the average person who's retirement plans are not back stopped by taxpayers.

    This entire system, all across the country is on the verge of collapse. The news and financial media have been avoiding what is going on with this situation.

    It was never like this. But 25 years ago people began to realize that jobs such as jobs with the MTA, local counties, civil servant jobs, etc, were an easy street to a secure retirement, for the tax payers did not realize that someday, all the promises that were made could never be kept without raising taxes thru the roof.
    Taxpayers are now seen as this bottomless pit that states, and counties and draw from because as of right now, there is not enough anger to generate a real tax revolt....yet.

    That is were we stand now.
    May 12 01:42 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Here is the reality here in California..these are year over year, April to April stats just released. Guess we do not get the DC/NY spin treatment out here on the left coast...Sales tax receipts..DOWN over 50%....state income tax receipts..DOWN over 40%..as goes California, so goes the nation. Yep! Show me those green shoots, baby!!!
    May 12 01:48 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    Aaarghh. I'm so sick of the politicians screaming that they will have to cut teachers and firefighters. Implicit in this is the notion that all other funding needs have a higher priority. But this is hardly ever pointed out.

    I am getting pretty uneasy about the financial situation here in Calif.
    May 12 02:13 PM | Link | Reply
  •  
    There are probably a million illegal aliens, er "undocumented immigrants" in California using the school system and public health.

    Deport them and seal the border and you will not have to lay off the teachers.


    On May 12 02:13 PM Charlie J wrote:

    > Aaarghh. I'm so sick of the politicians screaming that they will
    > have to cut teachers and firefighters. Implicit in this is the notion
    > that all other funding needs have a higher priority. But this is
    > hardly ever pointed out.
    >
    > I am getting pretty uneasy about the financial situation here in
    > Calif.
    May 12 03:50 PM | Link | Reply
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