Goodbye...California***

[amicus]

California already has the highest State income tax and the highest Sales Tax, in the nation. They raised taxes in January and a 40 billion dollar budget deficit blossomed to a 60 billion dollar deficit, at last report.

Pundits are predicting that this coming Tuesday Ballot elections will see the failure of 5 budget measures crafted to deal with the deficit crisis. The people are angry, says one reporter.

That same reporter indicated that California is run by the State Employee's Labor Union and they are refusing to cut budgets and fire employees.

People, especially small businesses have been leaving the State for years because of high taxes and impossible regulations, controls and restrictions on free market enterprise.

Any Californian's care to comment? I know several posters hail from there?

Amicus

 

[JackLuis]

California is run by the most vapid imbeciles you can imagine.

The Legislature is so polarized that they can't do anything but vote themselves a raise. They don't make much in salary but with an expense account of $180,000/yr for per diem, who cares what it pays?

California is so diverse that it is hard to get a Orange County redneck to talk to a Butte county redneck, let alone a San Francisco redneck. The Agricultural powers fight the Metropolitan powers and the Developers are all looking short term so it can be a mess of stripmalls, unless the Local Governments step in.

The time has come for hard decisions from our leadership, and they are failing us because of their zeal for a dream of a brighter tomorrow, rather than saying, "Nope, no more money, send the illegals in our jails to the border and dump them on the Mexicans."

Go ahead and make fun of California politics, we all do here.

 

[Dragonlipz]

California already has the highest State income tax and the highest Sales Tax, in the nation. They raised taxes in January and a 40 billion dollar budget deficit blossomed to a 60 billion dollar deficit, at last report.

Pundits are predicting that this coming Tuesday Ballot elections will see the failure of 5 budget measures crafted to deal with the deficit crisis. The people are angry, says one reporter.

That same reporter indicated that California is run by the State Employee's Labor Union and they are refusing to cut budgets and fire employees.

People, especially small businesses have been leaving the State for years because of high taxes and impossible regulations, controls and restrictions on free market enterprise.

Any Californian's care to comment? I know several posters hail from there?

Amicus

More unsubstantiated nonsense from a premier bullshitter.....you really need to come out of 'retirement' and spout some of your 'wisdom' for the masses.......Get yer facts straight and make your allegations....or go back to being a pair of flapping lips..........

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

California is run by the most vapid imbeciles you can imagine.

The Legislature is so polarized that they can't do anything but vote themselves a raise. They don't make much in salary but with an expense account of $180,000/yr for per diem, who cares what it pays?

California is so diverse that it is hard to get a Orange County redneck to talk to a Butte county redneck, let alone a San Francisco redneck. The Agricultural powers fight the Metropolitan powers and the Developers are all looking short term so it can be a mess of stripmalls, unless the Local Governments step in.

The time has come for hard decisions from our leadership, and they are failing us because of their zeal for a dream of a brighter tomorrow, rather than saying, "Nope, no more money, send the illegals in our jails to the border and dump them on the Mexicans."

Go ahead and make fun of California politics, we all do here.

Remind me never to move there. Oh, wait, I wasn't going to, anyway.

I don't envy the next Governator. LOL Okay, so that's a cheap shot.

 

[amicus]

Live Free or Die- New Hampshire Motto

Don't Tread On Me- Motto on the 1775 Gadsden Flag

~~~

Since the 2010 off year election is still some distance in the future, I thought perhaps the California election might spur some interest.

There are those who predict that the spending patterns of the new administration and the future results might be mirrored by the California situation, who knows....

We shall see...

Amicus

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

There's a prediction in the paper today. The writer says that government will have to squeeze every dime it can from taxpayers, and borrow every nickle the Chinese have, to pay for the ruinous budgets. The article predicts social unrest and a worsening economy as state & federal governments collide with The People in a competition for survival.

 

[Byron In Exile]

California needs to abandon "education" altogether.

Kids' parents can teach them the elements, and they can learn the rest on the Internet, if they're interested.

California's educational system is nothing but a gigantic day-care center.

So, there goes 50% of the budget.

 

[jomar]

There's a prediction in the paper today. The writer says that government will have to squeeze every dime it can from taxpayers, and borrow every nickle the Chinese have, to pay for the ruinous budgets. The article predicts social unrest and a worsening economy as state & federal governments collide with The People in a competition for survival.

I was worried about getting my state tax return. They've cut staff so it takes longer and with the budget issues...I actually whooped when it came the other day, several months late.

 

[Pure]

yes, ami,

california is about to "vanish" as a free society. it will go the way of such other vanished civilizations, such as Germany and Norway, once so proud and prosperous!

--

oh wait, Norway's still here. damn facts. don't they know socialism kills?

Against Economic Tide, Norway Thrives

Posted May 14, 09 10:49 AM CDT in World, Business |

(Newser) – While the rest of the world struggles with recession, Norway’s socialist-leaning government looks pretty smart, the New York Times reports. Norway enjoys a budget surplus of 11% and is free of debt (the US owes $11 trillion), and its economy grew 3% last year. Oil revenues are pouring in—$68 billion last year—and its sovereign wealth fund is among the world’s largest.

Tight control over lending kept banks there healthy—and housing prices are rising because there was no bubble. While it’s easy to attribute Norway’s success to its status as the world’s third-largest oil exporter, legislation mandating oil revenue be deposited into the sovereign wealth fund to highlights forward-looking values. “We cannot spend this money now,” one economist said. “It would be stealing from future generations.”

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

True.

I have a letter from 1849 written by a 14 year old brother of an ancestor. The subject of the letter is the benefits of education. He makes a case for all the courses he takes, and how each of them will prepare him for sundry vocations.

His school was located at a remote settlement on the Illinois Prairie, and it wasnt open most of the time, usually during the winter months.

He believed an education would qualify him to do more than fell trees, bust sod, and stare at a mule's ass all day. And this was the attitude most kids had until the 1920s.

Unfortunately, schools didnt keep up with the times, and by the 1920s everyone used schools as daycare.

 

[Byron In Exile]

california is about to "vanish" as a free society. it will go the way of such other vanished civilizations, such as Germany and Norway, once so proud and prosperous!

It's actually really bad.

The central valley is being starved for water.

Farms are shutting down.

This was the breadbasket of the nation, and it's being reduced to dust and tumbleweeds.

 

[Weird Harold]

This was the breadbasket of the nation, and it's being reduced to dust and tumbleweeds.

More like returning to dust and tumbleweeds -- the whole state south of San Francisco is naturally semi-arid and only stolen water ever made it arable on the scale it's become famous for.

 

[Pure]

good point, wh. i grew up there (south). it's beautiful, but truly, its natural state is near desert. its mountains' water (north) could support many millions, but not with millions of cubic meters of water being spread out on the hot soil, esp. in the south, for agricultural purposes.

 

[amicus]

Pure, you finally came up with a living example of Socialism that I can't find a place to poke; and I did try with several searches.

Norway is a nation of just under five million, 4.8 million to be precise and over a third of their gross national product comes from Government owned oil wells; the profits from which are used to provide for all the needs of their people.

Perhaps because it has a left over Monarchy and a Parliament, with an original Constitution based on the U.S. document and survived occupation by the Nazi's in 1940 and somehow avoided becoming part of the Soviet Bloc during the cold war, a more gentle form of Communism has managed to survive.

One might question the suvivability of such a 'nanny state' when oil revenue begins to decline and eventually vanishes, unless other export commodities can be maximized.

I wish I had more to offer as a refutation of the practical aspects of Norwegian Communism, but the critical articles are amazingly sparse.

Amicus

 

[JackLuis]

Pure, you finally came up with a living example of Socialism that I can't find a place to poke; and I did try with several searches.

-

I wish I had more to offer as a refutation of the practical aspects of Norwegian Communism, but the critical articles are amazingly sparse.

Amicus

Oh Shit Amicus! Now you said the "C" word and every Macarthy'ite out there will be screaming that we have to do SOMTHING about the Commie Norwegians. They are making money on oil! Oh my God!

Ask Wolfiwitz how much it would take to invade them. Probably $200 Billion max. Less that it will cost to "fix" AIG, I'd bet.

Ami, quick call Obama, if we don't invade Norway NOW and rid the world of this evil system that makes Governments actually save their revenue for a Rainy Day, it could destabilize all of Europe!

Next the Brits will Nationalize the City of London and start hanging bankers!

 

[amicus]

Well criminy, JLuis, I thought for a post or so there you had managed to find a measure of reason and rationality; silly me.

Rational men enjoy their freedom of choice. All other forms of dictatorships, whether by the State, in Socialism, Communism, Fascism, or varieties thereof, lessen the amount of free choice an individual can exercise.

I begin to suspect it lies with a genetic deficiency, the root of those who desire to live in a slave state; I can see no circumstance wherein a free man would desire to be controlled, even in a cradle to grave nanny state.

"Give me Liberty or give me Death!" Really does have a meaning and a purpose, whether you comprehend it or not.

Amicus

 

[Liar]

Perhaps because it has a left over Monarchy and a Parliament, with an original Constitution based on the U.S. document and survived occupation by the Nazi's in 1940 and somehow avoided becoming part of the Soviet Bloc during the cold war, a more gentle form of Communism has managed to survive.

You have a citation of this?

As part of my Swedish public school education, Scandinavian History was a mandatory piece of the curriciulum. From what I was taught, the Norweigan constitution adopted in 1814, is supposedly based on the old Danish Canon and the English Magna Carta, with minor French and, yes, American-inspired modifications.

 

[JackLuis]

Ami, I've got it!

You just solved California's problems. Forget Norway, Call your buddy Cheney and have him start a Invade California Movement!.

Oh it would be cool, I'm sure McCaine will go along, he could completely redirect their Central Water Project's water allocations from the Colorado and get re-elected for Life! With the water the Pima valley could grow like the San Fernando, all strip malls and strip joints.

Arnold would go along because if the US invaded, then he could liquidate the States debt and break the Unions for good, and since the US would have to seal the border in a combat zone, it might cut down on the Drug smuggling.

All pluses eh?

Crush the Socialist California movement before it is too Late!

The above was in fun Ami, dont think I was doing a Severus on you.

 

[Byron In Exile]

More like returning to dust and tumbleweeds -- the whole state south of San Francisco is naturally semi-arid and only stolen water ever made it arable on the scale it's become famous for.

Very true.

But stolen from whom?

It comes to the central valley first.

And now that water has been diverted to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

So you'll just have to get your fruits, nuts, and vegetables from Venezuela, now.

 

[amicus]

You have a citation of this?

As part of my Swedish public school education, Scandinavian History was a mandatory piece of the curriciulum. From what I was taught, the Norweigan constitution adopted in 1814, is supposedly based on the old Danish Canon and the English Magna Carta, with minor French and, yes, American-inspired modifications.

~~~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway

21] Norway took this opportunity to declare independence, adopted a constitution based on American and French models, and elected the Danish crown prince Christian Fredrik as king on 17 May 1814.

~~~

Perhaps a more in depth article would confirm your view, but while searching for something to refute Pure's glorification of Socialism in Norway, I browsed the history on wiki.

ami

 

[Weird Harold]

Very true.

But stolen from whom?

It comes to the central valley first.

Some of it does, but the Central Valley also gets some of the Owens Valley water and I believe it gets some of the Colorado River Water, too.

Most of the "stolen water" -- aka imported water -- goes to the LA basin first and then to the central valley. I haven't paid a lot of attention to the particulars of the most recent water troubles, but I suspect the central valley is crying foul because LA doesn't have any more left-overs to spill into the central valley.

The bottom line is that there are about ten times as many people as the water resources will sustain and Southern California has tapped as much outside water as they can get away with and Arizona, Nevada, and northern California have grown enough they want to keep whatever water rights they have left.

 

[Liar]

Eh well, no biggie. I was just curious.

Meanwhile, back on topic...

 

[TE999]

Maybe California should divide into three separate states or regions. With the diversity of population, topography and weather, it wouldn't be that difficult. Each would have it's own capitol, governor, legislature and economy. This arrangement would enable each state to be more managable and allow the residents to reside within the region where they have more in common.

Of course Washington could bail the existing state out...what's a few more trillion anyway?

 

[JamesSD]

http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/07taxbur.html

I was surprised to see California is actually 15th in terms of actual tax revenues as a % of personal income. That was 2007, in 2006 CA was 10th.

The state does have a bit of a spending problem. On the one hand, we have the best public university system in the country. We have extensive social services for those in need. MediCal definitely has problems. CA is still amazingly attractive to the technology industry, presumably due to workforce reasons.

Propositions 1A-1E are terrible compromises. They basically all borrow from the future and specific Tobacco settlement earmarks to pay for basic services. Like the rest of us, the CA government just needs to tighten their belts in these tough economic times.

Hopefully when 1A-E fail, they'll go back to the drawing board with some real budget cuts.

 

[amicus]

Californians seem too pig-headed to move into the future, but Southern California is perhaps the most ideal climate and weather conditions in the nation, even Florida, cuz I lived in both and know. It is not rocket science to understand why people love to live there.


http://www.answers.com/topic/desalinization

Of the more than 12,500 desalinization plants in operation or in construction worldwide, 60 percent are located in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The Shuʿayba Plant Phase II in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a time the world's largest plant, supplies the daily water needs of 1.5 million people. Saudi Arabia, whose desalinization output exceeded one billion cubic meters in 2002 to provide 70 percent of its water needs, is the largest desalinated water producer in the world, contributing to 30 percent of global output.

I wonder if a single nuclear plant could produce both electricity and potable water at the same time? Dunno why not.

Amicus