[Qnnoshxj]

Increase taxes to the top 5% then. Ike was rocking a 90% Income tax to the top bracket.

That's a bad analogy, given that pretty much no one paid that rate. In addition, I'd be willing to bet that's well on the other side of the Laffer curve.

[Yarikoff]

Why should they be getting tax refunds if their government is bankrupt?

JM

This all goes back to the "reform" right wingers pushed with prop 13. Not only did it slash taxes but at the same time they changed the rules requiring a 2/3rds majority to cut any spending and/or to raise taxes. You can always get 1/3rd to oppose anything so the result is complete dysfunction and gridlock on every issue. Of course that was the stated goal of the Howard Jarvis Center (a right wing group big here in California) to make government dysfunctional.

[foodselfdourileka]

Not only did it slash taxes but at the same time they changed the rules requiring a 2/3rds majority to cut any spending and/or to raise taxes. You can always get 1/3rd to oppose anything so the result is complete dysfunction and gridlock on every issue. Of course that was the stated goal of the Howard Jarvis Center (a right wing group big here in California) to make government dysfunctional.

And then there is Texas, with a constitution originating just after civil war reconstrution, designed to severely limit state governement and spending (such as flatly prohibiting an income tax), with multiple checks and balances, and extra legislative procedures to stop legislation, especially appropriations and tax legislation, and it gets along immensely better in bugeting than Caifornia does.

[everlastinge]

And then there is Texas, with a constitution originating just after civil war reconstrution, designed to severely limit state governement and spending (such as flatly prohibiting an income tax), with multiple checks and balances, and extra legislative procedures to stop legislation, especially appropriations and tax legislation, and it gets along immensely better in bugeting than Caifornia does.

Give us your Constitution.

[trettegeani]

Every State bond issuance in Texas requires a constituional amendment (and every amendment requires a state ballot issue, in addition to supermajorities in the legislature). Every subordinate juridiction bond inssuance require either a constituional amendment or a local ballot issue, depending on the type of jurisdiction. The politicians cannot borrow a dime without the consent of the governed.

[vicgirl]

I see 23 billion dollars in state debt for a population about 2/3rds of Canada.

California has 130 billion in debt.

Still they are models of fiscal restraint compared to Canada. We have 600 billion dollars in debt for 30 milllion people.

I don't see why CA is having budget troubles. If we can bring in balanced budgets up here on 600 billion of debt (about 5x CA debt levels), then CA should be able to do the same.

[FoetAgerhot46]

One might point the finger at your stupid prop sytem itself where people vote on things without any real care on how to pay for the projects they vote for.

This nails it. Lots of $$$ voted in without the Constitutional 2/3 vote restraints.
And some of the propositions are constitutional amendments.

[Lipitorseffec]

I see 23 billion dollars in state debt for a population about 2/3rds of Canada.

California has 130 billion in debt.

Still they are models of fiscal restraint compared to Canada. We have 600 billion dollars in debt for 30 milllion people.

I don't see why CA is having budget troubles. If we can bring in balanced budgets up here on 600 billion of debt (about 5x CA debt levels), then CA should be able to do the same.

It's like Cruelty and I said, the 2/3rds rule makes everything dysfunctional. You can always get 1/3 to oppose any spending cut just like you can always get 1/3 to oppose and tax increase. The net result is crisis after crisis while the state hasn't completed a budget on time in 28 years which is exactly when the 2/3rds rule was adopted.

[Khurlxgq]

I don't think underspending is CAs problem. It seems to me more one of management.