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What are your solutions to the state's budget troubles?
Thursday, July 31, 2008
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60 comment(s)

freeport56 wrote on Jul 31, 2008 2:51 PM:

" 1. Cap State Income Tax at 5%

2. Flat 10% sales tax

3. End Corporate Taxes. Consumers pay them anyway.

4. Adopt the AZ Wokers Compensation Model

5. Make Legislature Part-time

6. Close State Dept. of Education

7. cap Statspending to revenues from previous fiscal year.

8. Abolish earmarks on the state budget.

9. reduce farm subsidies by creating solar farms on unsed farm land. could be leased by PG&E, Edison...etc.

In order to fix the budget the economic engine has to be kick started. Heavy taxation does not stimulate an economy. Money in peoples and businesses pockets stimulates the economy. As the economy moves forward with a reduced tax base more people\businesses are willing to pay their share. historically this has always produced higher revenues for government. "

kevin wrote on Jul 31, 2008 9:46 PM:

" A 10% across the board cut in spending would solve the problem. There is no department that can't absorb a 10% cut. Private companies have to do it all the time... "

napablogger wrote on Jul 31, 2008 11:43 PM:

" I agree with Freeport and Kevin and would add, we need a two year moratorium on salary increases for all state government employees. After that at least three years where increases are limited to the COLA, or to average pay increases in the private sector from the taxpayers who have to pay for it all from their salaries. If we tied it to that we would never have another problem.

Out of a $140 billion budget, at least $100 billion is salaries/compensation for employees. Average increases are at least 5% a year, really more but even at 5% that would save $5 billion a year. In three years you would have the $14 billion and after that money to spend on needs. "

JimClark wrote on Aug 1, 2008 1:39 AM:

" Primarily there must be a legislature that spends our money as if it were their money. When a penny shows up, someone sitting in Napa, Sacramento and Washington can find someplace to spend it. Balance the budget? Gimme a break!!! You and I need to fire the existing legislators and elect those who consider balancing the budget more than merely a catch phrase. "

funnyme wrote on Aug 1, 2008 6:12 AM:

" I only wish Arnold read your comments :) "

gemini105 wrote on Aug 1, 2008 8:33 AM:

" How about the legislators start paying taxes as well? Why are they exempt from paying taxes as well? They live in the state, make use of its services and benefits but don't pay for them. If they started paying taxes like most everyone else in California, I'm sure a reasonable budget would follow quite quickly. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Aug 1, 2008 9:51 AM:

" Start by re-instituting the car tax, which was only to be rolled back in times of economic boom, but instead was reduced during a time when we were purportedly being bailed out of a fiscal crisis.

By the way, napablogger, state employees who are teachers at one community college are still fighting to get their COLA for last year. They have to do this every year, because the district wants to trade COLA for other reductions such as health coverage. That's not COLA. That's a trade-off.

State employees also pay taxes. So they are essentially paying their own salaries, aren't they? Taxes are in place to make sure we have services available which could not otherwise be provided.

Freeport's No. 9 sounds like a plausible possibility. I won't comment on his other suggestions, because I have to do some deep breathing first. "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 1, 2008 10:20 AM:

" Della-

it is all about kickstarting the economic engine by putting money back into peoples pockets. Spending lost dollars on scoial programs goes no-where.

Remembe rthe "War on Pverty"? During the Johnson Admin it was 15% of the population. 40 years later and $4 Trillion dollars it is still 15%.

Not done much good! "

JimClark wrote on Aug 1, 2008 11:34 AM:

" COLA is a cost of living allowance. As a child I earned my "allowance" came from mowing lawns, To have our legislators define our incomes as "allowances" goes beyond ludicrous. It becomes unconscionable. Who are these people you elect? I can’t tell you how many times I have written my name on my ballot. "

steph wrote on Aug 1, 2008 1:21 PM:

" I don't believe in across-the-board cuts. Across-the-board cuts are for mindless bureaucrats who won't use any critical thinking in determining which departments are truly vital and which aren't.

I agree we have too many government employees and WAY too early retirements with huge benefits packages. We taxpayers cannot afford this.

We have too many able-bodied folks on entitlement programs, and that needs to stop. Direct more money into services for children whose parents won't or can't care for them, but let's have the adults get back to work and invest in society. Raise the threshold for disability and welfare significantly. Fund daycare for single moms, but only if they work. Implement a high-profile campaign of criminal prosecution of abusers of entitlements.

I think we need a permanent grand jury of citizen taxpayers to dig into the state budget and report their findings regularly to each newspaper and a website, with an eye on potential consolidation of services and other cost-savings measures. Let's have some accountability from our state and local agencies--are they producing the results they're being paid for? If not, close the agency and hire the service out to a private agency. I just read another case of a child's death under the watch of the Philadelphia child welfare agency who's "workers" were cheating. They are being prosecuted along with the child's parents.

I agree we need a part-time legislature. We have enough laws on the books; let's start enforcing them.

Let's bring some common sense to government by streamlining it, in order to not obscure accountability. Let's put the public service back into "public service". "

Raven wrote on Aug 1, 2008 6:39 PM:

" just a lil bit of info....legislators have to pay taxes on their salaries..

early retirement.....hmmm...what about retirements after 20 years service...with 50 percent of your pay?

and havent found it yet but I dont beleive the state's budget allows earmarks...that is a federal foible....and the line item veto does let the gov cut items if he wants without rejecting the entire budget bill "

glenroy wrote on Aug 1, 2008 6:45 PM:

" Darm….you somewhat asked….’ State employees also pay taxes. So they are essentially paying their own salaries, aren't they?’ Uhhhhh…NO… even close to paying salaries or even the benefits portions of their compensation packages….but most of the legislators say the same thing…and when they say to themselves and their supporters often enough it becomes a fact….in their minds only.

There are some great posts herein that would solve this states budgets promptly, fairly and above all permanently…unfortunately they don’t stand a snowballs chance in he..ell.

It’s a sad situation that resulted from electing incompetent legislators long before the Gov was elected….but this state and most left leaning states are full of em. "

glenroy wrote on Aug 1, 2008 6:50 PM:

" Freeport…great post….but to ‘them’ it’s all funny money as long as they get theirs….


Personally thinking, candidates should be required to pass a competency test…maybe 3rd grade math for starters. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Aug 1, 2008 9:43 PM:

" Jim Clark: I believe the acronym COLA actually means Cost of Living Adjustment. The idea is all workers should be able to keep up with cost of living increases, which have steadily risen with inflation since I first started working as a teenager. So rather than be insulted by the idea, you might appreciate that someone is trying to look out for the workers by making sure their income matches inflation. That is if they actually get COLA. Unfortunately, it often doesn't work that way for community college employees, even when the college receives the COLA funds from the state. The reason? I believe the community college system is trying to run more like a profitable business. So they keep the money in the coffers and make the employees beg. And in the non-profits I worked for, we were lucky to keep getting any salary at all, and COLA was not available, because the agencies went from year to year with bare bones budgets. Is it any better for employees in profitable companies? I suppose it depends. "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Aug 2, 2008 5:13 AM:

" Many people do not understand how economics really works -- the economy does not fit the model of a 'machine'... rather it more like a garden or farm. You can not improve your garden by underwatering or overfertilizing it. Nor do you attempt to grow shade-loving plants in direct sun. The ripoff artists who have become the owners of some 80% of America's economy love it when people use terms like 'kickstart', or 'brakes' because it shows them that their propaganda worked. One of the themes that runs throughout this thread is that somehow beggaring your neighbor will turn out to be good for the neighborhood. Please remember that 'state workers', 'teachers', 'firemen', and 'police' are all our neighbors and not really responsible for inflation WHICH COMES FROM BAD POLICIES IN WASHINGTON, DC. If you impoverish your neighbors you impoverish your neighborhood, improverish enough neighborhoods and the city is improverished, enough cities and you improverish your state, do the same for enough states and you impoverish your country. A nation is not like a business although many opine wrongly for someone to run the country like one... (Remember that German State in the 1930s and 40s that was run like a business? Remember the dog eat dog barbarism?) When 'bidness people' take over the government, loot the treasury, and are allowed to rip off the financial system like happened in the roaring 20s -- then we need to take our country back and make sure it is being run for the benefit of all the citizens, not just rich folks who give themselves millions and billions while corrupting politicians, getting special tax treatment for laying off workers, exporting jobs and stealing the retirements of 'Aunt Minnie' the way the ENRON pirates bragged about doing. ~Ruff "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 2, 2008 1:54 PM:

" Ruff-

just a note about the "Roaring 20s" they were called such because the economy grew 59%. "

dellasumbrella wrote on Aug 2, 2008 2:22 PM:

" Very nicely said, Ruff. It's so refreshing to see posts by those of you who are keeping your uncynical wits about you.
I'm afraid I too easily slip into the caustic seas of sarcasm. 'Cause the water is soooo cool out there. "

Raven wrote on Aug 2, 2008 6:06 PM:

" "Roaring 20s" they were called such because the economy grew 59%. "

and then crashed on Black Friday, leading us to the great depression..... "

Ruff Limblog wrote on Aug 3, 2008 7:55 AM:

" fp56 - Raven nailed you! ;o) Now, I am waiting for one of the Bushites to tell us how the Great Depression was REALLY BILL CLINTON'S FAULT!!! ;o) ~Ruff "

Raven wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:47 AM:

" I knew he had to have something to do with...and Obama is secretly planning to bring the great depression back "

DinoSilver wrote on Aug 3, 2008 2:27 PM:

" The state should outsource anything that the private sector can do. That way we reduce the payroll of the state, including pensions and health care costs.

All new hires for the state should have a 401k type program - not a pension program. That way there would be little agrument for a set retirement date. If able and willing to work - they can work. Pensions, in many ways, force early retirement because if a worker is eligible for a full penison after a certain number of years - why work anymore? "

Raven wrote on Aug 3, 2008 6:27 PM:

" and what are some of the things you would outsource to the private sector?
and would you allow those outsourced projects or services to be unionized?

personally i have no problem with 401ks for state employees... "

DinoSilver wrote on Aug 3, 2008 8:31 PM:

" Raven -

First, if the service is outsourced - it is up to the oursourcing company as to the unionization of it's members. I think it is the government's job to make sure the service is done as contracted, not if the employees are a part of a union.

As to what projects or services are outsourced - just about anything. This allows some competition, as well as accountability to get the job done. Human ingenuity will create opportunities for competition and innovation as long as we provide that need. Look at what is going on with solar energy? Good luck getting a Prius here in Napa. Give it a few more years and every car company will have hybrids. "

Raven wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:04 PM:

" so you are happy to have say fire protection outsourced?...or police?...or the state dept of Justice crime lab....can you be more specific is there anything that you would not hand over to a private company.....

and regarding unions,....would you hand a contract over to a company that say, interfered with employees who wanted to organize?..or who said flat out they would not use any union labor? "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 3, 2008 10:36 PM:

" Ruff-

Casuses of the crash of 1929

1. The debt became heavier, because prices and incomes fell by 20–50% but the debts remained at the same dollar amount. After the panic of 1929, and during the first 10 months of 1930, 744 US banks failed. (In all, 9,000 banks failed during the 1930s). By 1933, depositors had lost $140 billion in deposits.

2. Most historians and economists partly blame the American Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (enacted June 17, 1930) for worsening the depression by seriously reducing international trade and causing retaliatory tariffs (i.e. a tax increase) in other countries. Foreign trade was a small part of overall economic activity in the United States and was concentrated in a few businesses like farming; it was a much larger factor in many other countries.[9] The average ad valorem rate of duties on dutiable imports for 1921–1925 was 25.9% but under the new tariff it jumped to 50% in 1931–1935.

3. British economist John Maynard Keynes argued in General Theory of Employment Interest and Money that lower aggregate expenditures in the economy contributed to a massive decline in income and to employment that was well below the average. In this situation, the economy might have reached a perfect balance, at a cost of high unemployment. Keynesian economists called for governments during times of economic crisis to pick up the slack by increasing government spending and/or cutting taxes.

the government did not cut taxes...Hmmm.. So heavy debt, high taxes, and no gov't spending. "

steph wrote on Aug 4, 2008 11:42 AM:

" I vote to allow contracts to go to non-union companies. "

wipemedown wrote on Aug 4, 2008 12:45 PM:

" If we all drink more we can pull out of this.............how?...... with the california redemtion tax.......but you get it back when you recycle.......but who recycles......hippies.......and how many hippes are left....too many.....thats why the state is broke. "

Raven wrote on Aug 4, 2008 1:33 PM:

" personally I favor letting the employees vote on a union..... "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 4, 2008 3:43 PM:

" If you are discussing out-sourcing of services, look to the City of Lakewood, CA. They are the model of outsourcing. If the union is an issue for outsourcing, find a company that is non-union. They will better motivated and qualified employees to do the job. Why, because they know if the make a serious mistake, they are gone.

Much like major league sports, there is always someone waiting in the wings for aposition. Quality hiring brings quality employees. Unions are antiquated, revenue draining, and lead employees nowhere. "

JimClark wrote on Aug 4, 2008 6:32 PM:

" Della: So, do you have a point to your nit-picking correction?
Do you have an intelligent comment that will give debate to my entry? "

Webster9 wrote on Aug 4, 2008 9:33 PM:

" Charge each legislator $5,000 a day for every day that they don't pass a budget. "

Common Sense wrote on Aug 6, 2008 5:26 AM:

" The DCI study, coming as it did amidst growing talk of state fiscal crises around the country, is particularly revealing. Of the approximately $48 billion in accumulated budget shortfalls that the 29 states with projected deficits are facing, $33 billion, or two-thirds of the gap, is concentrated in those five states considered by corporate executives to be the least friendly to business. Meanwhile, among the five states ranked as having the best business environment, Texas and North Carolina have no projected budget gaps, and Georgia, Tennessee and Florida are facing shortfalls amounting to about $4.1 billion, or less than one-tenth of the states’ total.

I think the solution is obvious. "

rogers wrote on Aug 6, 2008 1:53 PM:

" DinoSilver - "The state should outsource anything that the private sector can do..."

And how far shall we outsource? How about we turn over police protection to the Chinese? We could give them visas to work here, pay minimum wage, they can pay for their own retirement, house them in bunk houses at little cost (or their employers would, afterall we don't need to be bothered by such details).

Your only concern might be when you are stopped by a p...... off foreign patrolman in your own country who doesn't speak your language and arrests you for a violation you can't understand.

We could save Americans a lot of tax dollars by sending you to a contract prison in Chile at a fraction of the cost to incarcerate you here. But not to worry, you will be provided with a lawyer free of charge! Do you speak Spanish?

We could replace over-educated and over-priced teachers by home schooling. No new schools to build, no retirement programs, no unions, no troublesome COLA arbitration. Of course one spouse will be required to make a substantial income while the other attends to the children's education and activities 15 hours per day. If you need to have both parents working, I guess you could send them to a private school. Wait, aren't they expensive? Guess both those parents better have good paying jobs.

The point is there are no easy solutions to solving budget issues. Those of you so willing to cripple someone else's income for your own benefit are part of the problem. It will require people working together not against each other. When we have such illustrious thinkers as Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly advocating "culture wars" there will be no solution. "

rocco_de_luc wrote on Aug 6, 2008 2:11 PM:

" The Great Depression happened shortly after Coca-Cola took the coke out of Coke, right? Healthcare costs are rising as treatment for chronic depression and secondary ailments have become increasingly widespread. So with current health care costs spirally upward and depression is treated with ever-more-costly anti-depressants, doesn't history indicate that if we just put the coke back in the pop, people would have a rosier outlook, saving billions in health care costs, a key contributor to inflation? Come on, such keen insights don't come along every day - clearly its time to act! "

rogers wrote on Aug 6, 2008 2:20 PM:

" Common Sense - "...two-thirds of the gap, is concentrated in those five states considered by corporate executives to be the least friendly to business."

Well there you go... and what kind of corporate executives are we talking about here? Fine upstanding gold-plated examples like Kenny Boy Lay of Enron who helped put California and numerous other states in this unregulated energy mess and consequent deficit. He was in Texas. Or how about Haliburton which has shifted its headquarters from business friendly Texas to the Cayman Islands and now to Dubai. Sorry I don't put too much stock into the opinions of corporate leaders whose only concern is the quarterly profit statement for investors and their own golden retirement package.

If the southern states are such a good deal - relocate there and enjoy the regal life. "

John Richards wrote on Aug 6, 2008 2:45 PM:

" I agree with Kevin, a flat 10% cut in all departments is the most expedient way to handle the current crisis. There is no time left for fine-tuning the cuts.
Increased taxes are not the answer because that will only worsen the depression. "

Raven wrote on Aug 6, 2008 5:45 PM:

" a flat out 10 percent cut is a cheap way out that lets people avoid making hard decisions...and frankly, all programs are not created equal in their services provided or responsibilities....so what sense just making an across the board cut make except to let the decision makers off easy..... "

XMAN wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:08 AM:

" We Californians can save about 25 billions dollars a year by THROWING THE RASCALS OUT. WE are also in dire need of some PAC reform. PAC allows the politicians to be openly bribed for favors. When it stops, State spending will be easier to control and we will again have a viable budget. "

Common Sense wrote on Aug 7, 2008 9:14 AM:

" rogers says "Well there you go... and what kind of corporate executives are we talking about here?"

-I do not subscribe to the mantra that all executives are corrupt and evil. Some certainly are. If they are doing something illegal, then prosecute them. If they are doing something legal that you don't like, then change the law.

As for Haliburton, Al Gore had great things to say about them just prior to the Clinton Administration giving them a non-competitive contract for Bosnia. I guess what's OK for Democrats is not allowed for Republicans. Oh, the hypocracy. "

musikluvr wrote on Aug 7, 2008 11:48 AM:

" A 50% cut in spending would be more like it. All government budgets are padded by 75 percent, so that will give them a 25 percent raise. "

Raven wrote on Aug 7, 2008 12:04 PM:

" padded by 75 percent?....not when I was working for the state or the feds.....I think the whole discussion can be better served if we stick to facts.... "

lberryessa wrote on Aug 7, 2008 2:34 PM:

" You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the poor.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independence.

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

Those are the wise words of Abraham Lincoln. Somewhere in time, we as people and our government have forgotten this advice. I particularly like the last one.

It seems to me that Sacramento has done the opposite and has ignored this philosophy. Some of you may not understand how or what this has to do with the deficit and how to eliminate it. If you have to ask…. you’re a Democrat. "

lberryessa wrote on Aug 7, 2008 3:40 PM:

" Correction...line two should have said.....

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the STRONG. "

Raven wrote on Aug 7, 2008 5:01 PM:

" but should you...strengthen the strong at the expense of the weak?

help the rich by destroying the poor and middle class?

discourage thrift by promoting excessive deficit spending?

push the wage earner further down by raising up the wage payer?

Can you strengthen the brotherhood of man by promoting the divisions between classes?

and no one is asking govt to do what they should do for themselves, but rather to be there to provide that safety net when they can't.

It takes more than merely paying lip his words....you have to understand the spirit of the man and I think you missed that part...I don't think Lincoln would have have any part of the Republican party of today....it is almost 180 degrees away from his party. "

Dwell Well wrote on Aug 8, 2008 11:00 AM:

" May I humbly suggest that the state government do what the rest of ordinary folks do when our bottom line exceeds the income line....cut back! I would also like to suggest that less government is better! Perhaps some of these less vital offices that have been created could be suspended or closed all together! Perhaps we could start with a legislator staff paycut! After all....any other business performing to such poor standard could at the very least expect a new contract! Adding new taxes to already outrageous ones only makes this state more user unfriendly. "

skeptic wrote on Aug 8, 2008 1:09 PM:

" berryessa, just because regan said it's a lincoln quote in a speech doesn't make it so. it's actually a quote from Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, who lectured around the United States in the early 1900's. regan was quite well read but had a failing memory due to altzheimers.
i have a way to balance the budget by raising 15 billion dollars. just ask those nearly 1 million people who have the special liscense plates to send in $15,000 each for 20 years of evading tickets, tolls and fines. make red light cameras conditional on the state revoking each and every one of these secret plates that protect so many from being fined so everyone pays for running red lights including the families of city council people etc. "

asahigo wrote on Aug 9, 2008 8:22 AM:

" Cutting jobs wouldn't solve the problem, it would create a higher unemployment rate and further burden the system. I do not have an answer as of yet. It's not an easy thing to do. As for skeptic, uhh what license plates are you talking about? "

richmck wrote on Aug 9, 2008 12:03 PM:

" Billions can be eliminated from prison system costs without affecting public safety! The construction bonds are not needed. Instead of spending $6.5 billion for prison construction, the state should release Requests for Proposals for the 16,600 prison bed shortage reported by the Legislative Analysist. The contract beds could house technical parole violators currently in prison.

California’s parole revocation rates are at least twice the rates of other large states. Each technical parole violator returned to prison adds $12,000 to prison operating costs. If the system were repaired, there would be about 20,000 to 30,000 technical parole violators returned to prison annually, rather than 72,000, an annual cost difference of $400 to $600 million.

The high parole revocation rates are due entirely to the long term county jail bed shortage. Prior to the jail shortage, technical violators were retained in jail while a parole agent located a local program alternative. The jail shortage required immediate transfer of even minor parole violators to prison for parole revocation action. Return to prison for a decision rather than a disposition at the unit level always results in a revocation term being assessed, regardless of the facts of the case. "

Raven wrote on Aug 9, 2008 3:06 PM:

" well..nice plan skeptic except that while there me be that many special plates, not all of them have been evading tolls, runing redlight etc....so wouldn't come even close to a 15 billion dollar deficit "

skeptic wrote on Aug 9, 2008 11:30 PM:

" i explained all the detail of secret plates in a previous post. check the whole story done by oc register. there may be a few who don't abuse them but since 1989 the only reason to have one is to avoid tickets. they changed the law in 1989 so no one since then was in danger of being tracked down to a home address by anyone at the dmv giving out info.997,000 had them at last count with more to come. i just met a policeman's daughter who has one and she knows what a good deal it is to have one and that it's not for safety. "

Raven wrote on Aug 10, 2008 8:18 AM:

" and again, it wouldnt amount to even a pittance on a 15 billion dollar deficit. "

Skip M. wrote on Aug 10, 2008 8:24 PM:

" Rather than sticking it to State Employees (I am not one myself, just feel like they get the short end of the stick in these cases) when the legislature fails to pass a budget on time, how about invoking the Skip M. plan. Here is how it works: For every day the legislature is late passing a budget, they forfeit on week’s salary permanently. In the event the accumulated forfeitures exceed the remaining term of a legislator, the forfeiture shall be retroactive, meaning the legislator must surrender monies previously paid up to the sum-total of that legislator’s entire tenure in office. Since these are often the best paying jobs these people have ever, or will ever, had, I am sure they would become motivated to get off the stick as soon as the impact is personal to THEM. A simple concept, fail to do your job, fail to be paid for that job. "

NAPA66 wrote on Aug 11, 2008 12:10 PM:

" Deport illegals and deny them free services. Just think how my one delivery of a baby costs. Thousands! and how many hispanic children are born free? Too many services in our state are being denied our citizens, especially the elderly. "

skeptic wrote on Aug 11, 2008 8:30 PM:

" raven . please check the oc register article. it answered your question of how common this is. just one person they checked on was fined over $50,000 for unpaid fines for toll evasion. i think about $1000 a year is conservative for 15 years of law breaking with impunity.red light cameras will have to let many off because they have these elitist plates.not every public empoyee has one but those that do have only one reason. getting away with running all the red lights they please, speeding anytime they like and not paying tolls the rest of us do. it is a disgrace these plates were not done away with in 1989 when they ceased being needed.want to bet many legislators who keep these laws on the books have their whole family on special plates. it must be nice to have a perfect record to show the insurance company especially with kids who speed.. wait a second, i guess i do get a lower rate because of many years without tickets, but the difference is that if i speed i could have to pay more for insurance, in part, underwriting these lawbreakers that don't have a rate increase. "

doscentavos wrote on Aug 11, 2008 8:36 PM:

" Napa66..on my block it was TWO couples (Caucasians) who filed fake disability claims claiming back injuries. Both couples retired to a Nevada golfing community..still collecting from their disability. It's been over seven years.
The fee my two sisters charge a patient to deliver a baby about $5K.
So who exactly are the burdens? Let's be color blind when we deal with this situation. "

Raven wrote on Aug 11, 2008 8:47 PM:

" I have skeptic and like I said....no where near 15 billion dollars...... "

NAPA66 wrote on Aug 12, 2008 12:04 AM:

" Doscentavos..maybe you should have turned them in to the proper authorities. As the saying goes,"if you are not part of the solution than you are part of the problem." I don't think hundreds of babies born 'FREE' compare to two fakers. "

napaao wrote on Aug 13, 2008 10:11 AM:

" raise taxes for a day to cover the deficit! hahahahaa "

freeport56 wrote on Aug 13, 2008 3:46 PM:

" Lose the Earmarks...

"Californians have told us through adopting initiatives what programs and services they want the Legislature to fund. Californians want a quality educational system (Proposition 98). We want to keep bad guys locked up (Proposition 184). We want to fix our crumbling infrastructure (Proposition 42) and to fund local government (Proposition 1A). We want to provide health care for kids (Proposition 10)".

Noreen Evans August 2008 "

Raven wrote on Aug 14, 2008 9:11 AM:

" I believe earmarks are a federal 'perk'....still have to at least make the appearance of doing it the old-fashioned way in the state leg "

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