dreamdancer 0 #1 June 19, 2009 let them eat cake... QuoteNow that Washington has ruled out an immediate bailout for California, we know who will pay the ultimate price for the crisis born on Wall Street: the state's most vulnerable citizens. And with many states facing similar crises, this could be a preview of where the country as a whole is headed. California is facing a $24.3 billion dollar budget gap, and the governor wants to attack it with cuts to social programs alone. If Schwarzenegger has his way, the price will be paid by 1.9 million people who lose their health care coverage, 1.3 million who lose basic welfare, thousands of state workers who get fired, schools that lose $5 billion in funding, having already survived brutal cuts earlier this year. I just spent a week in LA and Sacramento filming a documentary on the crisis for Fault Lines, the show I co-host on Al Jazeera English Television. We interviewed teachers who are on hunger strike against the cuts, students organizing protest marches, health care workers and their patients, politicians from both parties, undocumented immigrants and the talk show hosts who demonize them (Californians will know the John and Ken Show...) What we discovered (beyond some priceless video of Arnold Schwarzenegger introducing Milton Friedman's TV series on PBS in 1990, is that thanks to the quirks of California's system, the state is a Petri dish for some of the most virulent strains of American political culture. Around the world, government is seen as the last hope to stimulate a comatose economy. In California, anti-tax, anti-spending, and anti-government sentiments are converging: California is facing a de-stimulus package of epic proportions. http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/18-14stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #2 June 19, 2009 Quote Around the world, government is seen as the last hope to stimulate a comatose economy. Why are you trying to oppress the people? You think that the government of Iran knows best and the people need to be kept down? Is it just because they're muslims? (muslims deserve to be treated with respect too)-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #3 June 19, 2009 >We interviewed teachers who are on hunger strike against the cuts . . . Kinda kills two birds with one stone, doesn't it? They get their protest, schools reduce their donut budget. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ErricoMalatesta 0 #4 June 19, 2009 The domestic population pay for the short comings of private and state power? I have not seen that before as a fundamentally recurring element of the last century or so. ... Good luck to all the people trying to do things about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #5 June 19, 2009 once again, you cite someone else's work on a matter you know so very little about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #6 June 19, 2009 QuoteCalifornia is facing a $24.3 billion dollar budget gap, Yep. And the People of the State of California voted last month that the budget will be slashed. I'd suggest that 24.3 billion dollars may be chump change for you, but it's a significant figure. Quotethe price will be paid by 1.9 million people who lose their health care coverage, 1.3 million who lose basic welfare, thousands of state workers who get fired, schools that lose $5 billion in funding Yep. I'd suggest, however, that EVERYONE is going to lose in this. EVERYONE. This is instead of the taxpayers being the only losers. It's time to spread the losses. QuoteWe interviewed teachers who are on hunger strike against the cuts, students organizing protest marches, health care workers and their patients, politicians from both parties, undocumented immigrants and the talk show hosts who demonize them Yep. Those living off of the public trough are facing a food shortage. Do you think that the cuts will result in a budget surplus? Nope. The People of California voted that the financial irresponsibility ends now. Schwarzenegger is merely telling the legislature to suck it up and don't spend money that they don't have. I know, spending only the money that the government has is a shocking concept to many. My suggestion is that dd or the author of this article pony up $25 billion to cover it. What? You don't have $25 billion? You mean you won't give money you don't have? How strange. Quotethe state is a Petri dish for some of the most virulent strains of American political culture "Virulent" is a great word! Virulent is loosely defined as able to cause disease by breaking down the defenses of the parasitic host. A virus, of course, is a miniscule parasite that cannot reproduce without attacking a host. A virus is characterized by its lack of any independent metabolic processes of its own, but causes the parasitic host to do its work for it, multiplying rapidly due to the host, and if untreated will destroy to parasitic host. So, we can look at budget cuts as finally applying AZT. Sure, the viruses are unhappy with being shut off from further destruction. Consider the pupulation of California to be exercising a degree of immune response and fighting back against the viruses that have gone unimpeded for decades. QuoteAround the world, government is seen as the last hope to stimulate a comatose economy. Bang up job so far, government! QuoteIn California, anti-tax, anti-spending, and anti-government sentiments are converging: Yep. The problem can be narrowed down to "Don't spend what you don't have." In addition, the taxpayers (yes, there are taxpayers involved) are saying, "Don't take more from us to give to others. We don't have any more to give. We're fed up and tapped out." The taxpayers are people who, right now more than any other time in recent memory, are cutting costs, expenses, and other outlays. This means that we don't have the money to do all of the things we used to do. And if we are ourselves sacrificing, then we expect the government to do the same thing we are doing. "We don't have the money for our family vacation this year. And you want to tax me more so that others can continue THEIR level of comfort?" The People of the State of California made it RESOUNDINGLY clear that they want budget cuts and not taxes or additional borrowing. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomAiello 26 #7 June 19, 2009 QuoteWhat? You don't have $25 billion? You mean you won't give money you don't have? How strange. You mean "how uncompassionate" don't you?-- Tom Aiello Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com SnakeRiverBASE.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #8 June 19, 2009 Hey, it's easy to come up with the money. Again - a recurring theme - someone ELSE should come up with the money to pay for OTHERS. The OTHERS will not be expected to do it themselves. I actually believe that people CAN and WILL take care of themselves if left with no choice. Look at the "Art of War" by Sun-Tzu. QuoteThrow your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve... - Ch. 9, Para. 23. QuoteSoldiers when in desperate straits lose the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm... - Chap. 9, Para. 24. This is psychology. Sun Tzu said, and I believe that he is correct, that when a person realizes that there is no easy way out, no refuge to be offered, people will find it within themselves to survive. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chasteh 0 #9 June 19, 2009 Like in Stalingrad. Is that a bad example? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BDashe 0 #10 June 19, 2009 Clap........clap.....clap....clap...clap..clap.clapclapclapclapCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP! Arnold is doin his thang "fine you dont like it my way? I'll put it to a vote!" He'll express regret and remorse publicly, but i bet behind closed doors he is happy cuts will finally be made and some responsibility will surface for the first time in a while in Sac town. Funny how easy it is for politicians to publicly chastise business owners/operators for spending habits, yet when they're a few B's or even a T in debt, it's the rich guys' fault for not ponying up. Couldn't possibly be their own fault for spending it in the first place... Reminds me of Brick participating in an argument in Anchorman "LOUD NOISES!!!!!"So there I was... Making friends and playing nice since 1983 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
