State Budget
Business & Economics
Conservative think tank says California spending too much
When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pared nearly a billion dollars from the state budget, Democratic politicians and liberal groups cried foul and said they’d attempt to undo the cuts in health and social services when the Legislature returns to Sacramento in December. Whether the cuts will be restored, however, depends largely ...
Business & Economics
Brown tips his hand on taxes
SACRAMENTO At Jerry Brown’s briefing Wednesday to discuss the dismal condition of the state budget, now plagued by a $25 billion deficit, the incoming governor said, “Everything should be on the table, and everyone should be at the table to talk about it.” Whenever a California Democrat tells you that ...
Business & Economics
More pension horrors, no fixes
SACRAMENTO It has become almost impossible to exaggerate the depth of the state’s pension scandals, as more details emerge not only about the city of Bell, but about common abuses in other burgs. A new report produced by the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, and championed by San Diego Councilman ...
Agriculture
State’s silly laws, sillier candidates
SACRAMENTO – Every legislator could have skipped out of the country for the entire legislative session, and it would not have mattered one iota to anyone outside of their staff members. That’s not cynicism, so much as a fair and balanced assessment of the last legislative session. I’m reminded of ...
Business & Economics
Progressives for Pension Reform?
With California facing a structural $19 billion budget hole, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has argued that the state will need to tap its general fund for billions to prop up faltering public-employee pension funds. With California facing a structural $19 billion budget hole, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has argued that the state ...
Business & Economics
State budget mess a comedy, or tragedy?
SACRAMENTO – As entertainment goes, the final regular-season episode of the Budget Show in the Capitol was shoddy. The actors – the Assembly members and senators – are B-rate. The speeches, despite their strained attempts to sound Kennedy-esque, were pretentious. Those of us in the audience sometimes rolled our eyes ...
Business & Economics
Prop. 22 protects corporate welfare
SACRAMENTO – It’s always entertaining watching various tax consumers fight with one another over a shrinking revenue pie, which makes the Proposition 22 campaign a spectacle. Despite the chatter from supporters about “saving local services” and stopping Sacramento from “raiding” local treasuries, this November initiative simply pits different government groups ...
Commentary
Mass. mess: ObamaCare’s ugly future
Massachusetts’ struggle to make “universal health insurance” work continues to be an excellent peek at what the entire nation faces when ObamaCare kicks in — and the picture remains ugly. Gov. Deval Patrick has just reached a truce with three of the four top insurers in the state, compromising on ...
Business & Economics
Democrats picking on oil companies
SACRAMENTO – Legislators are more than six weeks past the constitutional deadline for passing a state budget, yet the state’s majority Democrats last week weren’t even holding budget hearings. Why bother? The state is $19 billion in the red, but the two sides aren’t even close to coming to terms. ...
Commentary
Government Greed, Not Human Need, Drives the Growth of Medicaid
Key Points For four and a half decades, Medicaid has experienced significantly faster cost increases than Medicare or private health spending. Since February 2009, the federal government has leveraged states’ Medicaid spending to unprecedented levels. The “stimulus” bill, ObamaCare, and the recently passed bailout for states have further reduced incentives ...
Conservative think tank says California spending too much
When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pared nearly a billion dollars from the state budget, Democratic politicians and liberal groups cried foul and said they’d attempt to undo the cuts in health and social services when the Legislature returns to Sacramento in December. Whether the cuts will be restored, however, depends largely ...
Brown tips his hand on taxes
SACRAMENTO At Jerry Brown’s briefing Wednesday to discuss the dismal condition of the state budget, now plagued by a $25 billion deficit, the incoming governor said, “Everything should be on the table, and everyone should be at the table to talk about it.” Whenever a California Democrat tells you that ...
More pension horrors, no fixes
SACRAMENTO It has become almost impossible to exaggerate the depth of the state’s pension scandals, as more details emerge not only about the city of Bell, but about common abuses in other burgs. A new report produced by the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, and championed by San Diego Councilman ...
State’s silly laws, sillier candidates
SACRAMENTO – Every legislator could have skipped out of the country for the entire legislative session, and it would not have mattered one iota to anyone outside of their staff members. That’s not cynicism, so much as a fair and balanced assessment of the last legislative session. I’m reminded of ...
Progressives for Pension Reform?
With California facing a structural $19 billion budget hole, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has argued that the state will need to tap its general fund for billions to prop up faltering public-employee pension funds. With California facing a structural $19 billion budget hole, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has argued that the state ...
State budget mess a comedy, or tragedy?
SACRAMENTO – As entertainment goes, the final regular-season episode of the Budget Show in the Capitol was shoddy. The actors – the Assembly members and senators – are B-rate. The speeches, despite their strained attempts to sound Kennedy-esque, were pretentious. Those of us in the audience sometimes rolled our eyes ...
Prop. 22 protects corporate welfare
SACRAMENTO – It’s always entertaining watching various tax consumers fight with one another over a shrinking revenue pie, which makes the Proposition 22 campaign a spectacle. Despite the chatter from supporters about “saving local services” and stopping Sacramento from “raiding” local treasuries, this November initiative simply pits different government groups ...
Mass. mess: ObamaCare’s ugly future
Massachusetts’ struggle to make “universal health insurance” work continues to be an excellent peek at what the entire nation faces when ObamaCare kicks in — and the picture remains ugly. Gov. Deval Patrick has just reached a truce with three of the four top insurers in the state, compromising on ...
Democrats picking on oil companies
SACRAMENTO – Legislators are more than six weeks past the constitutional deadline for passing a state budget, yet the state’s majority Democrats last week weren’t even holding budget hearings. Why bother? The state is $19 billion in the red, but the two sides aren’t even close to coming to terms. ...
Government Greed, Not Human Need, Drives the Growth of Medicaid
Key Points For four and a half decades, Medicaid has experienced significantly faster cost increases than Medicare or private health spending. Since February 2009, the federal government has leveraged states’ Medicaid spending to unprecedented levels. The “stimulus” bill, ObamaCare, and the recently passed bailout for states have further reduced incentives ...
