Budget and Finance
Back to homepageObama’s Social Security Disability policy busting Calif. general fund
Sept. 28, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Here’s the dirty secret of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30 tax increase of $8.5 billion. Most of it would not go to education, as advertised. Instead, it indirectly would go to plugging a gaping
Read MoreThe sad reason Steinberg’s right about significance of his education bill
Sept. 28, 2012 By Chris Reed Some self-serving bragging by one of California’s most powerful politicians is more illuminating than he may think. This is from John Fensterwald’s story on edsource.org: “Senate Bill 1458, which will shift California’s chief measure
Read MoreBreaking public-employee pensions: The political path
Second in a series on public pensions. The first is here. Sept. 27, 2012 By Mark Cabaniss In taking on the California pension problem, the first step is dispelling some large, tenacious and commonly held illusions. The first illusion is
Read MoreNow Atwater teetering toward bankruptcy
Sept. 27, 2012 By Chriss Street Atwater, Calif. just admitted it does not have the cash flow to make a $2 million municipal bond payment due in November. It may become the fourth local California government to file for Chapter
Read MoreCalifornia’s public pension jackpot
Sept. 21, 2012 By Jennifer Kerns Last spring, three Maryland co-workers won the Mega Millions lottery and, as the old saying goes, it couldn’t have happened to nicer people. Lotto officials announced that three public school employees struck it rich
Read MoreInitiative idea: Cut CSU administrators in half
Sept. 20, 2012 By John Seiler Cal State University illegally is pushing the Proposition 30 tax increase, as our site reported today. The CSU Board also just approved 5 percent tuition increases if Prop. 30 doesn’t pass. That’s a real
Read MoreYes, we can break public-employee pensions
First on a series on public pensions. Sept. 20, 2012 By Mark Cabaniss The politicians in charge of “doing something” about the ongoing California pension debacle like to play a little game. It goes like this: They decry the high
Read MoreRevenge of the nurses: The back story of PERB’s radicalization
Sept. 19, 2012 By Chris Reed In 1999, California Democrats celebrated Gray Davis’ election as governor the previous fall by sending him a slew of legislation they knew that his Republican predecessor, Pete Wilson, would never have approved. Most notoriously,
Read MoreChicago solves student-violence problem
Sept. 17, 2012 By John Seiler Leave it to The Onion to point out something interesting. For the past week, the Chicago schools system has solved its endemic school-violence problem: CHICAGO—Jubilant Chicago Public Schools officials announced Friday that, for five
Read MoreBernanke’s QE3 slamming California economy
Sept. 17, 2012 By Wayne Lusvardi Those desperately in search of a cure for cancer will often try apricot pits bought in Mexico, exotic herbs or light therapy treatments. None has been proven to be effective. In an action with
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