I would love to hear what socialist policies you think California has enacted that have led them to this budgetary crisis.
Want to know the real reasons for California's current troubles?
1.) Ground zero for the housing bubble.
2.) Idiotic proposition 13 reduced the amount of the budget accounted for by property taxes, led to an extremely unstable tax base in times of recession.
3.) Thanks to a poorly written constitution it requires only a 50.1% vote to raise spending, but a 66% vote to raise the taxes to pay for that spending.
You should be happy about this. If as many people on your block have mortgages as foolish as you suggest, you are about to see a massive wave of foreclosures that will eat the value of your property ALIVE. You think you're underwater now? Just you wait.
Really though it sounds to me like you made an awfully foolish decision with your choice of housing as well, (gotta check that neighborhood!) and by your ideology don't you think you should have to live with the consequences of your actions? Also, did you really not see universal health care coming? If you genuinely think it's going to cut your pay by 25-50% (fat chance), then you signed onto a mortgage you probably couldn't afford long term anyway.
You're stupid and you act like you're 12 years old. Shut up and stop posting as you contribute nothing.
The thing is, when budgeting long-term how many of professionals bank on getting pay cuts? The thing that pisses me off supremely, is Mr. Zero Down Payment and 2-3 year option ARM doesn't have to live with his consequences of his actions as the political climate will reward them along with wall street.
Oh well, at this point, I'll continue to be a good little citizen, pay my bills, and see how the chips fall.
And the good news is that you don't have to live with the consequences of his actions either. Foreclosures hurt the person being foreclosed on, they hurt the bank doing the foreclosing, and they hurt you, his neighbor by lowering your property value. If that saves some of your neighbors from being foreclosed on, everyone will win. (and remember, if their home ever increases in value in the future, that's $150,000 they must repay)
If you made points to discuss, then I wouldn't be insulting you or suggesting you be banned. If you think you can discuss a point like an adult, then I encourage you to try for a change.
Wow, what a whopper, that the war criminal who had nuns raped and murdered (through the forces he supported) and put the nation into record peacetime debt among many other screwups, had a 'great state', much less one 'ruined' by liberals, unless you mean Clinton 'ruined' his deficits by getting rid of them. Who are the mysterious liberals you speak of - was it Bush 41? Bush 43? Or Clinton who had the administration of peace, prosperity, and too many compromises with the party of Reagan?
Originally posted by: Eeezee
Well, except for the perfect weather and best public universities in the nation that is
Sure, stuck in traffic for hours and hours driving and back forth to work in the hot sun, with freeway and roads with rough patches all over needing repairing. That is just perfect (sarcastically).
The public universities system's quality is going down gradually. Because of California budget crisis, universities are cutting classes, raising fees.
Whatever idea you like to cling to how ideal Ca is, it isn't anymore.
What California are you talking about? I live there right now, I went to UC San Diego, and I drive on the freeways every day. The state of California is not Los Angeles.
I'm never stuck in traffic for hours, the freeways I drive on are in excellent condition, the weather here is incredibly mild (it almost never tops 90 degrees where I live in the summer and almost never dips below 50 in the winter).
Your idea that the UC system is going down is directly contradicted by not only UC Berkeley and UCLA's consistent presence in the top 25 universities nationwide, but 3 UC campuses (including UCSD, woot!) were just named in the US News Best Colleges report as up and coming universities. This could easily lead to 3 or more UC campuses being ranked in the top 25 nationwide, a colossal achievement for any university system.
So... what were you saying? I feel like people that trash California have either never lived there, or have had the poor judgment and/or misfortune to live in the horrible inland areas.
Just curious, which part of California do you live in? I live in L.A. myself. My guess is you don't live in big cities like L.A. or San Francisco? If you live far from big city, I guess things aren't as bad in terms of road condition, and your quality of life is better than people living in big cities, even if we all live in California. So my comment is directed at people living in California's major cities, which most population is concentrated. If you can find a way live far from big cities, I am sure things are much better there.
Ideally, it'd be great if everyone's workplace and home is close to each other, but most people just don't have the choice. The way some U.S. cities are designed, so everything is spread out, and driving is the only way to get to where you want to go in time.
A few days ago, the latest report saids LA has the worst traffic in the nation, follow by other places like San Francisco as I recall. Because most people have to commute to work.
The UC system has high marks in rating, that is true. But how will California be able to continue to fund public entity (which includes our UC public universities) and keep the quality up, as we are out of money?:
State's middle class getting less for its tax dollars
Prized programs like higher education and freeways have been sacrificed for years, a trend likely to be accelerated by new increases.
By Evan Halper
March 1, 2009
Reporting from Sacramento ? Middle-class Californians have long griped about paying more taxes than they might pay elsewhere, but for decades this state could boast that it gave them quite a bit in return. Now that contract is in doubt.
A modern freeway system, easy access to superior universities and progressive health programs used to be part of the compact. Even local schools plagued with financial problems continued to offer small classes, innovative after-school programs and advanced arts and music curricula.
But at a time when taxes are about to rise substantially, the services that have long set this state apart are deteriorating. The latest budget cuts hit public programs prized by California's middle class particularly hard -- in some cases at the expense of preserving a tattered safety net for the poor -- following years of what analysts characterize as under-investment.
The governor's signature on the new spending plan, some experts say, has accelerated the sunset of a way of life in California.
"Twenty years ago, you could go to Texas, where they had very low taxes, and you would see the difference between there and California," said Joel Kotkin, a presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University in Orange. "Today, you go to Texas, the roads are no worse, the public schools are not great but are better than or equal to ours, and their universities are good. The bargain between California's government and the middle class is constantly being renegotiated to the disadvantage of the middle class."
The reasons are varied. The cost of services continues to outpace inflation. Programs are being squeezed out by things the government was not providing in the halcyon 1950s and early 1960s, including Medi-Cal and some welfare programs. And the state has been reluctant to embrace new ways of funding services while holding back state money to plug other holes in the budget.
"We keep shifting money over to programs where there has been rapid growth, like prisons or healthcare," said Ross DeVol, director of regional economics at the Milken Institute, a Santa Monica think tank. "Ultimately, you pay a price for that."
Perhaps nowhere has that become more obvious than in the state's freeway system. Even the infusion of federal dollars on their way from Washington will make only a small dent in repairing the shoddy network of roads that once was a sturdy backbone of the state's economy. The patchwork of local sales tax increases being put in place in various communities to fund transportation projects also will go only so far.
Most transportation experts have concluded that it will be impossible to keep the state's freeway system free. California simply can't afford it anymore. The days of being able to crisscross California without having to pay a toll, they say, will soon be over.
The state's new budget package acknowledges this by giving Caltrans free rein to turn over road projects to private companies, which would probably recoup their investment through tolls. Ellen Hanak, director of research at the Public Policy Institute of California, predicts that in the not-too-distant future, drivers will need to place electronic transponders in their vehicles to keep track of the miles they log on various freeways. They would be charged accordingly.
"This where a lot of experts see our system heading," Hanak said. "The question is how soon."
Other states are far along in implementing complex toll systems and have the roads to show for it. California has continued to cling to the notion of the freeway, which many road builders say is unsustainable. State funding for the system comes largely from a fixed tax on gasoline that hasn't been increased in 15 years, even as vehicles become increasingly efficient, resulting in less gasoline used and less revenue for the state for each mile driven. The result is roads that are increasingly clogged, pocked with potholes and even dangerous.
Funding challenges at another longtime California draw, the state's impressive system of public colleges and universities, have forced it to become increasingly restrictive, shutting out students who would have had no trouble gaining access a decade or two ago.
The new reality will be reflected at a Capitol protest Monday, where about 300 students plan to hold a mock funeral for affordable higher education. The latest funding cuts will cost the system $887 million -- after tuition has doubled over the last 10 years.
Another 10% fee increase is in the works, and UC is planning to take away at least 2,300 freshman spots for fall 2009, a cut of about 6%. Cal State is planning to cut an additional 9,000 slots.
In 1975, about 17% of the state general fund budget went to higher education. Now that number is below 11%.
Classes at Cal State are increasingly difficult to get into, and students who once would have had access to the most elite California universities are being offered admission only at the relatively new UC Merced.
"More than ever before, we are rationing college opportunities in this state," said Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education in San Jose.
California is also cutting back in other areas where it once occupied the cutting edge. The state's landmark First 5 program, established by voters in 1998, uses tobacco tax revenue to fund a network of education and health services, child care and other programs for children ages 5 and younger. The new budget will raid that program for hundreds of millions of dollars if voters agree. California's promise to make a large investment in community-based mental-health care will also be scaled back temporarily if voters go along.
In addition, the state is withdrawing its subsidies to local governments for public transit -- a $460-million cut. The result is almost certain to be widespread fare increases and service reductions, according to Joshua Shaw, executive director of the California Transit Assn., a nonprofit group that promotes public transportation.
And the segment of California government that has arguably most disappointed middle-class families, the K-12 educational system, is positioned to decline further.
Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke to the frustrations of many California parents during a speech at last weekend's state GOP convention in Sacramento. Pointing out all the taxes Californians are now paying, he asked, according to the Sacramento Bee: "With all that money, how are your schools?"
The simple answer is: Not what they used to be. And now the state is cutting billions more out of them, including money set aside to keep classes small and to fund arts and music electives.
"The social compact is: I pay taxes and good things happen," Kotkin said. "But I pay a lot of taxes and can't send my kid to our local public schools because they are terrible."
Link
Ideally, it'd be great if everyone's workplace and home is close to each other, but most people just don't have the choice. The way some U.S. cities are designed, so everything is spread out, and driving is the only way to get to where you want to go in time.
A few days ago, the latest report saids LA has the worst traffic in the nation, follow by other places like San Francisco as I recall. Because most people have to commute to work.
The UC system has high marks in rating, that is true. But how will California be able to continue to fund public entity (which includes our UC public universities) and keep the quality up, as we are out of money?:
State's middle class getting less for its tax dollars
Prized programs like higher education and freeways have been sacrificed for years, a trend likely to be accelerated by new increases.
By Evan Halper
March 1, 2009
Reporting from Sacramento ? Middle-class Californians have long griped about paying more taxes than they might pay elsewhere, but for decades this state could boast that it gave them quite a bit in return. Now that contract is in doubt.
A modern freeway system, easy access to superior universities and progressive health programs used to be part of the compact. Even local schools plagued with financial problems continued to offer small classes, innovative after-school programs and advanced arts and music curricula.
But at a time when taxes are about to rise substantially, the services that have long set this state apart are deteriorating. The latest budget cuts hit public programs prized by California's middle class particularly hard -- in some cases at the expense of preserving a tattered safety net for the poor -- following years of what analysts characterize as under-investment.
The governor's signature on the new spending plan, some experts say, has accelerated the sunset of a way of life in California.
"Twenty years ago, you could go to Texas, where they had very low taxes, and you would see the difference between there and California," said Joel Kotkin, a presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University in Orange. "Today, you go to Texas, the roads are no worse, the public schools are not great but are better than or equal to ours, and their universities are good. The bargain between California's government and the middle class is constantly being renegotiated to the disadvantage of the middle class."
The reasons are varied. The cost of services continues to outpace inflation. Programs are being squeezed out by things the government was not providing in the halcyon 1950s and early 1960s, including Medi-Cal and some welfare programs. And the state has been reluctant to embrace new ways of funding services while holding back state money to plug other holes in the budget.
"We keep shifting money over to programs where there has been rapid growth, like prisons or healthcare," said Ross DeVol, director of regional economics at the Milken Institute, a Santa Monica think tank. "Ultimately, you pay a price for that."
Perhaps nowhere has that become more obvious than in the state's freeway system. Even the infusion of federal dollars on their way from Washington will make only a small dent in repairing the shoddy network of roads that once was a sturdy backbone of the state's economy. The patchwork of local sales tax increases being put in place in various communities to fund transportation projects also will go only so far.
Most transportation experts have concluded that it will be impossible to keep the state's freeway system free. California simply can't afford it anymore. The days of being able to crisscross California without having to pay a toll, they say, will soon be over.
The state's new budget package acknowledges this by giving Caltrans free rein to turn over road projects to private companies, which would probably recoup their investment through tolls. Ellen Hanak, director of research at the Public Policy Institute of California, predicts that in the not-too-distant future, drivers will need to place electronic transponders in their vehicles to keep track of the miles they log on various freeways. They would be charged accordingly.
"This where a lot of experts see our system heading," Hanak said. "The question is how soon."
Other states are far along in implementing complex toll systems and have the roads to show for it. California has continued to cling to the notion of the freeway, which many road builders say is unsustainable. State funding for the system comes largely from a fixed tax on gasoline that hasn't been increased in 15 years, even as vehicles become increasingly efficient, resulting in less gasoline used and less revenue for the state for each mile driven. The result is roads that are increasingly clogged, pocked with potholes and even dangerous.
Funding challenges at another longtime California draw, the state's impressive system of public colleges and universities, have forced it to become increasingly restrictive, shutting out students who would have had no trouble gaining access a decade or two ago.
The new reality will be reflected at a Capitol protest Monday, where about 300 students plan to hold a mock funeral for affordable higher education. The latest funding cuts will cost the system $887 million -- after tuition has doubled over the last 10 years.
Another 10% fee increase is in the works, and UC is planning to take away at least 2,300 freshman spots for fall 2009, a cut of about 6%. Cal State is planning to cut an additional 9,000 slots.
In 1975, about 17% of the state general fund budget went to higher education. Now that number is below 11%.
Classes at Cal State are increasingly difficult to get into, and students who once would have had access to the most elite California universities are being offered admission only at the relatively new UC Merced.
"More than ever before, we are rationing college opportunities in this state," said Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education in San Jose.
California is also cutting back in other areas where it once occupied the cutting edge. The state's landmark First 5 program, established by voters in 1998, uses tobacco tax revenue to fund a network of education and health services, child care and other programs for children ages 5 and younger. The new budget will raid that program for hundreds of millions of dollars if voters agree. California's promise to make a large investment in community-based mental-health care will also be scaled back temporarily if voters go along.
In addition, the state is withdrawing its subsidies to local governments for public transit -- a $460-million cut. The result is almost certain to be widespread fare increases and service reductions, according to Joshua Shaw, executive director of the California Transit Assn., a nonprofit group that promotes public transportation.
And the segment of California government that has arguably most disappointed middle-class families, the K-12 educational system, is positioned to decline further.
Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke to the frustrations of many California parents during a speech at last weekend's state GOP convention in Sacramento. Pointing out all the taxes Californians are now paying, he asked, according to the Sacramento Bee: "With all that money, how are your schools?"
The simple answer is: Not what they used to be. And now the state is cutting billions more out of them, including money set aside to keep classes small and to fund arts and music electives.
"The social compact is: I pay taxes and good things happen," Kotkin said. "But I pay a lot of taxes and can't send my kid to our local public schools because they are terrible."
Link
I do not know where you are day dreaming... California is one of the most violent crime states in the union. You can go from San Fransisco to Fresno to Bakersfield to Los Angeles to San Diego... All major cities have higher then average crime stats compared to the rest of the major cities.
San Francisco sucks with traffic and crime and San Diego is not much better. My uncle was assaulted by two hoodlims with guns while locking up a jobsite for construction in San Francisco. They pistol wiped him and stole whatever was in his wallet ($20).
http://www.cityrating.com/city...ity=San+Diego&state=CA
http://www.cityrating.com/city...ity=San+Diego&state=CA
California ranks in at #13 as most dangerous states.... Considering the sheer size of CA and the amount of people in it that is a lot of crime going on (since the crime stats are averaged per person).
First
Lifer
- Jun 3, 2002
- 10,518
- 271
- 136
rofl. Spoken like someone from out of state. You can quite easily live in a very safe neighborhood in CA, there are tons of them in SD, LA, SF, etc. The higher crime is always concentrated in bad neighborhoods, not all over. It isn't any different than any other big city outside of CA, and that should be common knowledge but apparently it's not for you.
Quoted for self ownage.
San Diego crime from your own source:
Murder: 33% lower than the national average.
Rape: 12% lower than the national average.
Robbery: 58% lower than the national average.
Assault: 14% higher than the national average
All violent crime: 3% lower than the national average.
Burglary: 26% lower than the national average.
Larceny: 32% lower than the national average.
Car Theft: 65% higher than the national average. (oh no!)
Arson: 37% lower than the national average.
All property crime: 17% lower than the national average.
As for babylon5, I live in San Diego, the third largest city in the state... and I live right in the actual city area. To get to work I would have to drive on the 8 and the 163, both major highways that go through all the most populous areas. My drive of about 15 miles to work took me about 20-something minutes all put together.
I sympathize with you living in LA though, that city is a shit hole. Everyone down here in San Diego cringes when someone mentions it. San Francisco is one of the most amazing cities on the planet though, I hope to move there someday.
EDIT: Oh, and about the UC system. the state actually pays a comparatively small fraction of the UC operating budget. (about $3 billion out of a $15 billion budget) While the budget cuts from the state certainly don't help, the UC system isn't going to go down because of it.
Evan,
You are funny I live in Orange County... My GF lives in LA County in one of the beach cities.... I have been born and raised in CA so you barking up the wrong tree. Orange County as a whole is excellent but when you start going into North Orange County it gets worse. San Francisco is trash and San Diego is not to much better unless you live in the suburbs the closer you get to the border the more drug related crime goes on. Crime is up all over and even the nice beach areas of LA county have seen crime sky rocket. Unless you are living in Santa Barbra or San Luis Obisbo high crime areas will be within 30mins of you.
You are funny I live in Orange County... My GF lives in LA County in one of the beach cities.... I have been born and raised in CA so you barking up the wrong tree. Orange County as a whole is excellent but when you start going into North Orange County it gets worse. San Francisco is trash and San Diego is not to much better unless you live in the suburbs the closer you get to the border the more drug related crime goes on. Crime is up all over and even the nice beach areas of LA county have seen crime sky rocket. Unless you are living in Santa Barbra or San Luis Obisbo high crime areas will be within 30mins of you.
You guys are living in little bubbles... Have you ever been to National City or any of the other border cities south of San Diego? You will know what I am talking about, go down the wrong street and you can be killed or abducted by Mexican Narco gang members operating down there.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/.../idUKTRE5201MX20090301
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29194928/
Sounds save to me!
Yes I've been to National City, I've lived in this town for about a decade now. But yeah, I'll let the guy from Orange County tell me how life is in my own town... because I'M the one living in a bubble, not him. While National City does have higher crime rates than average, now you're cherry picking crime stats from little towns of 50,000 and attempting to shove them onto huge cities of millions. Not only that, but it's sandwiched between low crime San Diego, and even lower crime Chula Vista (which coincidentally is even closer to the border than National City)
Who cares about your other links? You completely self-owned and blew up your own argument because you were too stupid to read what you were linking before you posted it. Because you already killed yourself on real evidence you're attempting to flee to anecdotal evidence. So they say the Mexican Mafia is in San Diego? Well the violent crime rate is still below average, and the property crime rate is almost TWENTY PERCENT below average. With results like these it sounds like more towns could use a dose of the Mexican Mafia.
Can you just admit you were wrong about crime in San Diego already?
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