California's outsize problems won't be easy for Schwarzenegger to solve

Source: Washington Post

SACRAMENTO People in the nation's largest state are in a sour mood. They are unhappy with the economy, unhappy with what has happened to their state, unhappy with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and unhappy with the Democratic-controlled legislature.

The recession here began earlier and went deeper than it did nationally, according to estimates. In December, the unemployment rate stood at 12.4 percent, making California the fifth worst state in the nation. The Legislative Analyst's Office issued a report in November forecasting a turnaround this year but projecting that unemployment would still average more than 10 percent in 2012.

Lawmakers here face a $20 billion state budget deficit, after closing an even bigger deficit last year. "It was monumentally difficult," Susan Kennedy, Schwarzenegger's chief of staff, said of last year's effort. "Everything that could be cut was."

This year, given what it took to pass the budget last year, solutions will be even more difficult. There are no easy options left on the table.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/06/AR2010020601195.html?hpid=topnews

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The Republicans dirty little secret is that California has had a Republican governor for most of the past quarter century, and due to the 2/3 vote requirement for budgets and taxes, the Democratic majority in the Legislature is relatively meaningless, because you always need Republicans to play ball. Its like a systematic filibuster.

Now, watch Meg Whitman become Governor, things continue to deteriorate, and then watch the GOP throw her under the bus the way they did Arnold for not being "conservative enough." The problem is that California has too much conservative rule with anti-tax Proposition like Proposition 13 tilting the playing field in favor of Republicans.

Is it because Brown is too old or too much of a retread?

Meg is running ads attacking people on welfare (typical Repub b.s.). If she wins, forget about ever going for single payer - we'll probably do away with much more of the social programs that remain.

we have to pay for them. Regardless of what anybody might say, NOBODY wants government's functions limited to defense. We've been coasting here in CA for 30+ years on the physical and social infrastructure we built up before then and we're just about out of steam.

The only way to save California is with a tax increase. What the politicians have to decide is, will they do the right thing and increase taxes on corporations and the wealthy, or will they try to screw the people and convince us it's for our own good. I'm not optimistic about their intentions but I'm hopeful the voters have just about had it with the whole "limited government" because if something isn't done soon, effective government here will cease to exist.

Electing another corporate republican who promises to gut government programs is not the answer. Electing a Dem who won't stand up to the corporatists won't work either. We need a real progressive with a spine in order to keep this from becoming a "failed state".

but CA just needs to legalize it :)