California Governor, Without Republicans To Obstruct Him, Creates Budget Surplus

[applegrove]

California Governor, Without Republicans To Obstruct Him, Creates Budget Surplus

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/26/california-governor-without-republicans-to-obstruct-him-creates-budget-surplus/

"SNIP......................


California has been seen as a basket case with regards to its exploding budget deficits. Interesting enough this was occurring during the administration of Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. He attributed the deficits to reduced tax revenues and overspending. He cut programs in draconian fashion but could never escape the reality that he was making the problem worse. Ultimately he did what both Reagan and Bush did, leave exploding deficits to their successors.

California now has a budget surplus. Depending on whose numbers one uses, it is anywhere from $1.2 billion according to the Governor or $4.4 billion according to the Legislature’s independent financial analyst. How did California do it and what should they do about the surplus?

Democrats President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, and Governor Jerry Brown did not attempt an ideological game with blinders to the actual results. They tried basic arithmetic. They raised taxes. Interesting enough, the results were the same.

Bill Clinton got a balance budget with a surplus. Barrack Obama is seeing a budget deficit that is shrinking faster than anyone expected. Suffice it to say that the budget deficit hole left by two wars, two massive tax cuts, and a massive drug program on the credit card by the previous administration along with an irresponsible & intransigent Congress cannot be solved in two terms.


.....................SNIP"

[Initech]

1. Cue Darrell Issa whining about it in 3...2...1...

[corkhead]

2. Amazing how efficient things can be when Republicons aren't allowed to plunder the treasury

for their billionaire buddies.

"Republicans are the fiscally responsible party" is the most ridiculous con ever perpetrated on the American public by the corporate media.

Why anyone would vote for a party whose most important plank is to govern horribly so they can complain about how government "doesn't work" is beyond me.

Have I said how much I despise the republican party and the knuckle draggers that are running it?

[applegrove]

3. +100

[Mr.Bill]

4. I agree.

Republicans say government doesn't work, yet curiously they want to be in charge of it so they can make sure that is so.

[AlbertCat]

42. Bingo!

And what do they think government is for anyway? To better the lives of as many of the country's citizens? Or to make a lot of money for just a few?

Seriously, what the hell IS government for if not to better the lives of most of its citizens????

[ffr]

11. Well said!

[Nac Mac Feegle]

5. Got into a friendly debate today with a proud Tabagger

He kept saying that "You can't still blame Bush for everything." Wouldn't let me get in a reply along the lines of "It takes half a second to drop a pot of spaghetti sauce on the floor, but it takes half an hour or more to clean it up. Bush was smearing things all over for 8 years. Do you expect Obama to clean it up in a few weeks? Especially with the Republicans smearing more all over the place and flinging poop all over the walls."

Just kept barfing out typical right wing talking points and straw man arguments, with the "How come it's racist to criticize Obama?" lines. I told him it's racist to hold the signs that show him as a monkey or with a Hitler moustach or bone in the nose. He started the "There was a movie about killing Bush out while he was in office" bit. It didn't faze him when I told him it was British, he kept on the victim line.

Whenever presented with a fact from the real world, and not Faux Noise, he would start the MSNBC, CNN... lines. Geeze, they truly live in an alternative reality.

[mac56]

35. Spaghetti sauce.

Stealing.

[The River]

6. I Knew there was a Reason

I just moved here.
To the Red state I just left: Eat my dust!

[Zorra]

7. Welp...appears that the hippies are still getting it right. nt

[Historic NY]

8. Republicans try to run everything government to make a profit like a business...

when a business goes bankrupt the creditors lose ....when a government goes bankrupt people suffer. There is a difference, a government can raise revenue via taxes or fee's, a business by raising capital.

[xtraxritical]

28. RepubliCONS

Austerity is a hoodwink proposition foisted by uber capitalists to take over government assets at fire sale prices. It's a .01% scam.

[nikto]

36. Conservatives, aided by Dem apathy, are destroying the US Postal Service

They are destroying the US Postal Service wantonly and deliberately.

The result will be privatization of the service, with increased cost$, to keep stock prices rising,
just like in private healthcare, etc

[nikto]

37. Really, it's 1 technique, used throughout the economy

Gentrification----Defund it, wear-it-down, mess-it-up, discredit it, then POUNCE and grab the buck$.

In addition to using the process on The US Postal Service,
Conservatives used it in New Orleans, and are doing it right now to Social Security and The Public School systems
around the country, wherever possible (impacted areas with low test scores--That is the Invitation To Gentrify for the schools).

Whenever the GOP is stymied, progress is possible.

But only then.

I see a road to success here...

[mountain grammy]

9. Amazing.. way to go Governor Brown!

[lordcommander]

10. Its arithmetic....

[ffr]

12. Dropped about $1,200 in tourism dollars there

over the Memorial Day weekend. All of it voluntary and brought back a wealth of priceless memories.

Way to show them how it's done Jerry!

[Tikki]

25. We treasure our visitors here in California...sure glad you had a grand time.

Believe me, Governor Brown knows this State from every inch and mile, every bus stop and street corner.

The problem with our repug governors is they only knew every financial center and business conglomerate
and crooked businessman and politician. And then they would try to convince that it was important to the
average Californian.


Tikki

[Le Taz Hot]

13. With all due respect,

Brown engaged in "draconian cuts" as well and the credit for the surplus is largely due to the VOTERS of California who voluntarily voted themselves a tax increase to address the deficit. Bill Clinton's budget was "balanced" only by including the Social Security SURPLUS and Barrack Obama has a shrinking deficit because of MORE draconian cuts (sequester, anyone?) PLUS he's looking to apply a chained-CPI to SS. I'm sorry, the article is some partisan rah-rah piece for the Democratic Party and is EXTREMELY short on actual facts. Just my two cents.

[DonCoquixote]

14. and would the voters have done that

with brown's leadership?

[Le Taz Hot]

15. Given the oppportunity?

Yes.

[demosincebirth]

39. Not a friggin chance.

[ucrdem]

17. Pass prop 30, the "millionaires' tax," without Brown? Don't think so.

Brown campaigned a year to get that through and ran the gauntlet of RW tricks and distractions. He personally addressed teachers and no doubt other unions at their meetings and persuaded them to accept his cuts and taxes. Believe it or not there are plenty of voters in Cali who resent both and frankly I didn't think Prop 30 had a chance, but it passed in August, and mostly taxes upper brackets as promised:

Based on California Franchise Tax Board data for 2009[8], the additional income tax is imposed on the top 3% of California taxpayers.

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/California_Proposition_30,_Sales_and_Income_Tax_Increase_%282012%29

Meanwhile California's foodstamp program has been renamed CalFresh and advertises widely on radio and TV. I saw an ad last weekend pushing fruits and vegetables and encouraging Californians to give it a try. Older radio spot:

Personally I never saw a foodstamp commercial when Ahnold was wrecking the place. Let's give credit where credit is due eh?

[Takket]

16. Repubs do it on purpose...

I think there are some that have swallowed the cool aid but the Repubs in charge from rove/koch on down WANT the government swallowed in debt and the people too. They want a society where all the money is funneled to the corporate leaders at the top and they want the people to believe that they should consider themselves lucky to be underemployed and underpaid with terrible or no benefits.

Clinton bucked their system by showing a surplus while the economy was booming and the right has been on the attack ever since to make sure it never happens again. What was the best economic time of my lifetime was nullified in the minds of the american people by the right/corporate media by a blow job. Now they are doing everything they can to hold back obama from turning the country around as well, and have done a pretty good job of it so far by turning the house into a brick wall and abusing the filabuster in the senate.

What is happening in California will be common knowledge to NO ONE because it won't be talked about in the MSM. that does not fit their narrative of the need for austerity, so it won't be a part of the narrative at all.

[xtraxritical]

29. Republicon con men all dressed up in minutemen outfits, funded by Kochs.

Austerity is a hoodwink proposition foisted by uber capitalists to take over government assets at fire sale prices. It's a .01% scam.

[Nimajneb Nilknarf]

18. Did he? I thought it had something to do with an improving economy.

The state of California's budget relies more heavily on personal income taxes than just about any other state.

[ucrdem]

19. As Sigmund Freud once said there are no accidents. n/t

[Nimajneb Nilknarf]

20. No indeed. Partisans know what they are doing when they take credit for the work of forces

beyond their control when things are looking up, and blame partisans of different points of view for the bad times. That's how it's always been done. And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[ucrdem]

22. Did you live in Cali under Ahnold and Brown?

Were you here when Jerry was campaigning his ass off to get Prop 30 passed? Did you ever happen to tune into a local FOX news broadcast while that was going down? He was vilified every day and crucified every night. I was here and I can tell you this budget is no accident.


p.s. Bushler didn't end the Iraq war, Obama did.

[Nimajneb Nilknarf]

23. California was Spanish territory when I was alive.

There was no Arnold Schwarzenegger, nor had Edmund G. Brown Senior or Junior been born.

p.s. Bushler didn't end the Iraq war, Obama did.

It appears to me that part of the world is still at war. Different factions of Mohammedans are at each other's throats, as always. The current state of affairs isn't something I would proudly lay claim to.

Were you here when Jerry was campaigning his ass off to get Prop 30 passed?

No, I was dead.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

41. Hello troll

Enjoy your stay.

[SoCalDem]

21. It's just math.. When your family needs more money, do you quit your job? or

do you ask for MORE hours or take on a 2nd job to bring more money in?

Cutting true waste :

for a family, it may mean no more vacations for a while, or maybe giving up HBO-Showtime or cable...it may mean a cheap cell phone (if you can escape your package deal) or it may mean taking a bus or walking whenever possible. it may mean eating at HOME and avoiding "convenience" foods..and many other money saving ideas..until things improve..

It does not mean stopping a kid's chemo or letting the power/water/gas get turned off, or cutting the kids down to one meal a day.

For a government, it means going over EVERYTHING with a fine-toothed comb to look for things that can be pared back a bit, BUT it also means that MORE MONEY has to come in since the state has MANY responsibilities to ALL its people..

[xtraxritical]

30. Household budgets have NO relation to a sovereign nations debt.

Read some macro economic texts.

[SoCalDem]

31. your name suits you well

[xtraxritical]

33. Somebodys gotta do it...

[B Stieg]

24. Yeah, but what about the Elephant in the Room?

It's American voters who fall for the guff and put these ideological speedbumps into power!
Anything being done about that?

[FairWinds]

26. Spent some time in northern CA . .

Humboldt County, volunteering on the Vets for Peace Golden Rule Project.
In Ohio I am sorta a left-wing loonie compared to most folks - but in Humboldt
I was pretty much middle of the road. Downright refreshing !!

Humble suggestion for CA: OK, since the Dems have a super-majority in the Assembly,
why don't they abolish the charter schools, that are doing nothing but creating chaos
in the educational system ?
Seriously, X-out the charters from your once-great educational system.
You won't miss them a bit.

[DCBob]

27. nice headline!

and so true.

[xxqqqzme]

32. Now if we could just

get Jerry to stop singing the praises of fracking, we might actually get somewhere.

[AsahinaKimi]

34. I just love

my state!

[ailsagirl]

38. Ditto here!!

[Jack Rabbit]

40. Once again, congratulations, Governor Brown, on a job well done

As California goes, so goes the nation.

[Scurrilous]

43. K & R

[kentuck]

44. This little gem of a fact may need wider dissemination?

:kick:

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dis·sem·i·nat·eddis·sem·i·nat·ing. Definition of DISSEMINATE. 1. : to spread abroad as though sowing seed <disseminate ideas>. 2. : to disperse throughout ...
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Disseminations - Dissemination Authority List - Dissemination Element
disseminate - definition of disseminate by the Free Online Dictionary ...
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v. dis·sem·i·nat·ed, dis·sem·i·nat·ing, dis·sem·i·nates. v.tr. 1. To scatter widely, as in sowing seed. 2. To spread abroad; promulgate: disseminate information.
Dissemination | Define Dissemination at Dictionary.com
dictionary.reference.com/browse/dissemination?
dis·sem·i·na·tion. /dɪˌsɛm əˈneɪ ʃən/ Show Spelled [dih-sem-uh-ney-shuh n] Show IPA. noun. the act of disseminating, or spreading widely: The Internet ..."

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