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State budget cuts and Candlestick Point
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nealpar



Joined: 25 Oct 1998
Posts: 624

PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forecast shifted in the last few hours. Don't see a NW forecasted for Thursday anymore. Wanda probably made a mistake at the controls. Time to hit the slopes.
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nealpar



Joined: 25 Oct 1998
Posts: 624

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gregor, as the KINKS so aptly said in one famous song:

"...paranoia will destroy-ya...."
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jimbeall



Joined: 01 Aug 2001
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 4:06 pm    Post subject: State budget cuts and Candlestick Point Reply with quote

The govnator is only part of the problem, it's the legislative branch that can't say "NO".

Quote:
The Washington Monument Strategy...

Published On 01-10-2008 , 5:57 PM



The Washington Monument Strategy is so named for a predictable bureaucratic reaction to any suggestion that a government budget should be reduced. Whenever a Congressman suggested that the National Parks Service budget could be trimmed, the standard bureaucratic response was always, “Well, then we’ll just have to close the Washington Monument.”
Visions of outraged tourists towing broken-hearted children quickly vanquished the ardor of the most committed budget watchdogs.

The governor is obviously employing the Washington Monument Strategy when he proposes releasing 20,000 dangerous felons – including burglars – onto California streets and closing the most popular beaches in Southern California. “Across-the-board” cuts are the most stupid conceivable way to make budget reductions, because they treat the highest of state priorities the same as the lowest. Thus, instead of making 100 percent cuts in utterly indefensible expenditures like tuition subsidies for illegal aliens and a vast array of duplicative or obsolete state programs, the governor proposes throwing the prison doors open. Yet he refuses even to consider the obvious question: why should it cost California $42,000 per year to house a prisoner when Florida does it for just $18,000? (When we recalled Davis, California’s cost was $32,000 per year).

Last year, the governor had the opportunity to save $7 billion in construction costs and $1 billion in annual operating expenses by contracting out 50,000 prison beds – as many states already do. Instead, he approved a law that makes it impossible to do so. (Click here for my speech to the Senate last April)

So who does he think he’s kidding? He employs an entire finance department to offer serious budget reforms, and yet expects Californians to believe that utterly preposterous threats are the only solutions to the state’s run-away spending.

Indeed, according to the numbers just released by that department, this year Sacramento is spending the largest portion of your earnings than ever in its history: state government now consumes $9.58 out of every $100 of personal income. By comparison, when we recalled Gray Davis, Sacramento spent just $8.78 out of every $100. In the last year of the Pat Brown administration, state government spent $6.76 of every $100 earned – and we had no trouble housing all of our inmates, operating legendary state beaches and, by the way, also offering the finest university system in the country, the finest highway system in the world, abundant affordable housing, and water and electricity so cheap that many communities didn’t measure the stuff.

Meanwhile, despite the Governor’s assurance that the budget doesn’t raise taxes, it includes at least a half-billion dollars of new taxes: $125 million a year on homeowners insurance and $385 million a year on vehicles. And he is sponsoring a ballot initiative that would boost taxes a staggering $14 billion per year for his socialized health plan. This dwarfs the current record-holder: the $7 billion tax hike in 1991 that broke the back of California’s economy.

And he still hasn’t shaken his reliance on Enron accounting: in addition to a half-billion dollars of tax increases, he is proposing $3.3 billion of new borrowing, suspending $1.5 billion in scheduled debt repayments and using $2 billion in accounting gimmicks to claim revenues expected in future years as part of the current year revenues.

The glaring and inescapable conclusion is that this is not the serious and carefully considered budget that the crisis demands and the public deserves, but rather a ham-handed attempt to employ the Washington Monument strategy to excuse four years of fiscal mismanagement. California deserves better.


The prison guard union has done a great job for it's members, "Starting pay for a state correctional officer is $39,700 a year. It only takes a high school diploma or 12 units of college to get into the academy.


Quote:
WATCHDOG REPORT
Prison guards lock up bundle in OT pay

2,400 officers made more than $100,000

By Steve Schmidt
An analysis of state payroll data shows the average base pay last year for a guard was $57,000.

CHP officers were paid, by contrast, an average of$64,000 in base pay last year. A veteran patrol officer with the San Diego Police Department was paid an average of$69,000.

Prison guards received an average of$15,000 in other pay, mostly in overtime.

Thousands of guards also earned $2,400 bonuses – known as “rattlesnake pay” – if they worked in desert regions where it's tough to attract and keep employees.

Add it up, and the average year-end gross pay for a stateprison guard last year was $72,000.

Last year, San Quentin had the greatest number of correctional officers earning more than $100,000 – 182, or about one out of five rank-and-file guards. "


Read it yourself:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060228/news_1n28guards.html#

I only point the prison guard issue as an example, of the spending levels. It use to be working in business were the best jobs, now gov. jobs are best: no lay offs, benefits and vacation time. Ok, not as good as France or Germany. France = free healthcare, no lay offs, 36 (or 30) hr work week and at least 6 weeks vacation time.

I heard that (CA) revenues went up 3 1/2%, but spending went up 10%.

Things I know for sure:

Who has right -away when windsurfing a( any large dorsal fin b( see a.

Hitting a green sea turtle is against the law, and always a mistake.

Forget any piece of windsurfing equipment, and that's the one your need.

Three strikes and your out, best law ever passed by the voters through referendum. It never would make it through the legislative. (90% of crime, includes murder, is drug related) Who is more likely to break into your car or house? a)fellow windsurfer b)drug addict c)CEO of big corp. b)govt

Forcasting wind at a local site should never be called science. It seems to me picking football games is more accurate ie Colts losing to Bolts? My favorite forecast "10-25 knts". What it really means is there might be one gust hitting 25 at some point. Sacramento and Washington spending more each year, is like the "10" of course we will get one gust of ten. Of course Sacramento and Washington will spend more and raise taxes, question is do we get a puff @10 or a steady 25. How many times have you seen park fees go down?
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"How many times have you seen park fees go down?"

Frankly, they did go down from $75 to $37 per year under Grey Davis' administration. However, at the local state park office at Refugio where I bought my new 2008 pass, the employee indicated that the price was actually $35 per year.

And by the way JP, I'm not honking Davis' horn here, and that wasn't my original intent. The above comments, to include my initial comments about Arnold raising the fee to the current rate of $125 per year, are simply the facts.
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fearnobeer



Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

theq wrote:
jpbassking:
If the Dems weren't critical of their own, at least as manifested at the voting booth, it 's doubtful that the Davis recall would've succeeded. Considering the political makeup of California, it's virtually impossible that a pure G.O.P. supported recall would have worked. You know what I'm sayin' Vern?


if that's true then why complain about arnold?
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jp5



Joined: 19 May 1998
Posts: 3394
Location: OnUr6

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Frankly, they did go down from $75 to $37 per year under Grey Davis' administration."

and how much were vehicle registration fees going to increase under Grey Davis?


Looks like King George is rattling his saber over Iran again...
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well JP, I would guess that you don't pay the fee for a state park pass. If parking wasn't allowed on Highway 1, thereby closing off your current access to the beach at Leo, I'm sure that fee issue would be much more important to you.

As a "dyed in the wool" Republican that you seem to be, it's my thought that the government reaching into your pocket would clearly unsettle you and bring out the fire.
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jp5



Joined: 19 May 1998
Posts: 3394
Location: OnUr6

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Swchandler;

I consider myself more "Republican leaning" than "dyed in the wool". I have to say that I am not real thrilled with the current administration and am not real thrilled with any of the contenders either - in either party.

The Grey Davis proposed vehicle registration fee increase was far more a dig into my pocket than what you are seeing now in annual park passes.

Yep, I get fired up anytime the government wants to reach into my pocket for anything more than a cheap feel. Money is just too hard to make.
JP
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