California is broken, not broke

Sept. 7, 2012

By John  Seiler

Our colleague Steven Greenhut writes today on Bloomberg about, “Scandals show California is broken, not broke.” An excerpt:

“Voters are accustomed to the scare tactics of tax-hungry politicians who warn of looming cuts in schools and public safety.

“But nothing gets people’s attention like closing parks. And in California, where the state beaches and mountain refuges are as beloved as the politicians are cynical, the strategy has exposed practices that border on the corrupt.

“It started in May 2011 when Governor Jerry Brown announced that “turbulent times” required the “unthinkable” — the shuttering of 70 parks to deal with the state’s enduring fiscal problems. Brown’s critics sensed that he found the proposed cuts to be quite “thinkable” — at least as a ploy to encourage Californians to loosen the grip on their wallets.” 

Read the rest here.

 

13 comments

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  1. Queeg
    Queeg 7 September, 2012, 09:43

    Few if any State parks are self sustaining. Pay as you go….charge parking, entrance fees, jack up the concessionaire fees, etc. Lets cut the bleeding….if fatty or sugareeee food or drink tack on a health service maintenance fee….charge for water…..just charge anything that moves….

    Reply this comment
  2. Rex the Wonder Dog!
    Rex the Wonder Dog! 7 September, 2012, 11:09

    Few if any Gov trough feeding employees are self sustaining. Pay as you go…charge them healthcare fees, vacation fees, jack up their pension fees, etc. Lets cut the troughie bleeding…if they are fatty employees tack on a health service maintenance fee…charge for their water…..just charge anything that the toughies use… 😉

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  3. Queeg
    Queeg 7 September, 2012, 13:39

    Somehow, I got bent over……

    Now that was funny-

    Reply this comment
  4. Hondo
    Hondo 7 September, 2012, 14:18

    How bout cutting the gigantic pensions and salaries of the bloated state workers. They are hiding money to spike pensions instead of spending the money on the parks.
    The one dude that looks most responsible has been on probation from one crime or another for 16 of his 25 years of ‘service’. He didn’t get fired, he ‘left’ his job, ie, he took a huggggge pension.
    Hondo…..

    Reply this comment
  5. Queeg
    Queeg 8 September, 2012, 09:30

    Hondo…try and qualify for a state position….improvels the bowels!

    Reply this comment
  6. Rex the Wonder Dog!
    Rex the Wonder Dog! 8 September, 2012, 11:27

    …try and qualify for a state position…

    1- GED-check
    2- Family, friend or lawsuit consent decree connection in- No
    3- Brain dead- No
    4- Lack of common sense- No

    Well I had one of the 4 requirements!

    Reply this comment
  7. Queeg
    Queeg 8 September, 2012, 23:48

    Poodle..

    Word has it you circled a want ad in the Adelanto Bugle for a faux crab cake patty Sous Chef prepper at a popular joint in Hesperia!

    Reply this comment
  8. Rex the Wonder Dog!
    Rex the Wonder Dog! 9 September, 2012, 00:07

    Word has it you circled a want ad in the Adelanto Bugle for a faux crab cake patty Sous Chef prepper at a popular joint in Hesperia

    English **’er, do you speak it??

    Reply this comment
  9. Rex the Wonder Dog!
    Rex the Wonder Dog! 9 September, 2012, 00:07

    From Pulp Fiction 😉

    Reply this comment
  10. Rex the Wonder Dog!
    Rex the Wonder Dog! 9 September, 2012, 00:08

    Reply this comment
  11. Barb
    Barb 9 September, 2012, 08:43

    A very good read (surprised it was in Bloomberg) and a perfect illustration of how government has run amuck in California. But the park fiasco doesn’t surprise me in the least, not when you have a state run by one party who is fixated on all the usual tactics, ie., taxes, regulations. That’s all they know! It’s all about power, control, and little tolerance for any conservative thinking! (And the Democrats call themselves the party of tolerance! HaHa! That is just hilarious!)

    But the way I see it is the onus is on them. They can’t blame anyone for their misguided politics. So when the Dam finally breaks, they will all come crashing down. And unfortunately, at this point, financial catastrophe seems to be the one thing that will change voter’s minds.

    Reply this comment
  12. Queeg
    Queeg 9 September, 2012, 09:03

    Poodle….
    ENGLISH not spoken at your truck stop job environment!

    Are you doubling out today to cover for Big Betty laid up with a hang over from Randsburg’s annual rave party last night!

    Reply this comment
  13. Barb
    Barb 10 September, 2012, 08:42

    Wow, the usual commenters on this site have stooped to new lows! I enjoy this site very much but……..but why the pettiness! Has it become too difficult to talk issues rather than personal insult?

    I think I’ll just stick to reading to the articles and leave it at that! (And just ignore the comment section.)

    Thanks for great articles!

    Reply this comment

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Tags assigned to this article:
budgetJerry BrownJohn SeilerParksSteven Greenhut

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