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Killiana1a on 22 January 2011
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Kasz216 said:
Killiana1a said:

I am a resident of California, the world's 8th largest economy.Formerly a resident of Oregon and their fine higher education system, but California born and raised.

Source: http://econpost.com/californiaeconomy/california-economy-ranking-among-world-economies

I am not going to address this nonsense of California going the way of Greece. We have enough right leaning California haters writing for the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and the Weekly Standard. They gladly prop up welfare states like Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi because they are solid Republican states, but forget that Democratic states such as California and New York are subsidizing those God fearing, welfare Republican states via Federal tax dollars.

Source: http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22685.html

Source: http://scatter.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/red-state-blue-state-welfare-state-subsidizing-state/

Regarding state bankruptcy, it is a political canard aimed to defund and disempower the 1st Amendment rights of citizens in each state to "peaceably assemble" in unions. Republicans and tea baggers want this state bankruptcy legislation to pass so that states would have to dissolve public employee unions in order to cut budgets, cut consitutionally (state) protected public employee pensions, and allow Republican interest groups to fill the power vacuum leftover from the dissolved. overwhelmingly Democratic public employee unions.

The problem is, Obama has the "shut the eff up" card AKA the presidential veto. In order to override a presidential veto, there needs to be a two-thirds vote of both chambers of the US Congress meaning Republicans need 292 House members (They currently have 242 vs. 193 Dem) and 67 of the 100 US Senators to vote yes in overturning a presidential veto.

In the end, this is shameless political theatre just like the repeal of Obama's healthcare bill. They know Obama has the "shut the eff up" card, they don't have any meaningful influence with enough Democrats to overturn a veto, and they hope they can drag it out on Fox News well until the 2012 election. Well baby, it ain't going to happen, plenty of news between now and then.

Source: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf/con001.pdf

None of what you've said actually in anwyay defended your thesis that California won't go bankrupt.... and your "Bankruptcy is to stop the first ammendment" arguement just sounds insanely paranoid.

If you'll notice, your state is inacting very large deficit reducing factors... that don't even scrape the surface...

and it's being done by Democrats.

Democrats are stopping all funding to the public libraries and your really blind enough to say your state doesn't have a problem?

I am fine with California declaring state bankruptcy so long as in doing so it does not violate 1st Amendment rights to "peaceably assemble" in unions and it does not violate California State Consitution protections for public employee pensions.

You might be thinking, does this guy who works in mental health work in public mental health? No, the organization for which I work for is a 1000 employee private sector, for profit mental health company.

As for Democrats cutting funding, it is regrettable but understandable. Governor Brown's budget called for across the board budget cuts and the elimination of state redevelopment agencies.

Source: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/09/3310523/anatomy-of-browns-budget-plan.html

I am more in favor of cutting the budgets of California Highway Patrol and state prisons.

California state prison guards have an average salary of $57,000 (not to mention the cadillac benefits).

Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060228/news_1n28guards.html

California Highway Patrol starting salary is $51,288/year (not including cadillac benefits).

http://www.chp.ca.gov/recruiting/osalary.html

I could understand these starting salaries if state prison guards and CHP required a 4 year degree, but they don't. Hell, if you are a friend or a friend of a friend, you don't even need an Associate's to get a job as a state prison guard or with CHP.

If we are talking about cutting state government spending, then everything needs to be on the table. Including "public safety" whom Republicans and conservatives hail as essential and should never be cut. Last time I checked, state prison guards, police, and sheriff were not private sector, for-profit organizations bringing in their own revenue via the sale of goods and/or services.

If the majority of your salary is paid for by tax dollars and/or government grants, then you are just as much a bureaucrat as the pencil pushers in the state capital regardless whether your bureaucratic duties require a gun and a badge.