California is so fucked...

[GAMEFINEST]

I mostly feel for the kids and poor families who cant afford health insurance..

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090523/...y_of_reckoning

[cherrylula]

yeah crazy times...

[TidalWave]

The gap has two primary causes: The state has been living beyond its means for years by spending generously on all sorts of programs that the voters, the politicians and the special interests wanted. And the recession has hammered California's economy.

Great....

[Sly]

The gap has two primary causes: The state has been living beyond its means for years by spending generously on all sorts of programs that the voters, the politicians and the special interests wanted. And the recession has hammered California's economy.

It's going to be a very rough time for a lot of people... but you can only spend money that you don't have for so long before it comes back to bite. It's biting.

The sooner this gets over with, the sooner the rebuilding process can begin.

[Mutt]

the truth:

"I understand that these cuts are very painful and they affect real lives," Schwarzenegger said. "This is the harsh reality and the reality that we face. Sacramento is not Washington ? we cannot print our own money. We can only spend what we have."

they're going to dump the problems on Washington.

[TheSenator]

Health care should not be cut out.

How about cutting out pensions for teachers and police?

[TheSenator]

California should legalize marijuana!

Now is the time!

[baddog]

Originally Posted by TheSenator

Health care should not be cut out.

How about cutting out pensions for teachers and police?

Why penalize those that already gave of themselves you selfish prick?

[TheSenator]

Originally Posted by baddog

Why penalize those that already gave of themselves you selfish prick?

Cutting out pensions for teacher and police means that the state would pay back every dollar they put in and end the program.

The pension program in California is out of control and not well funded. You have towns either putting off paying into the pension program or borrowing. Getting rid of the pension program would save the state billions and would root out corruption(double dipping).

[LiveDose]

There are no good solutions to this mess.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by TheSenator

Cutting out pensions for teacher and police means that the state would pay back every dollar they put in and end the program.

The pension program in California is out of control and not well funded. You have towns either putting off paying into the pension program or borrowing. Getting rid of the pension program would save the state billions and would root out corruption(double dipping).

Stop being a welfare state is a much better idea.

[Sly]

Originally Posted by TheSenator

Cutting out pensions for teacher and police means that the state would pay back every dollar they put in and end the program.

The pension program in California is out of control and not well funded. You have towns either putting off paying into the pension program or borrowing. Getting rid of the pension program would save the state billions and would root out corruption(double dipping).

As much as I think a lot of the federal pensions and federal employee benefits are ridiculous, you cannot simply take away somebody's pension. People take a specific job because of that pension... they pay into that pension... they work for that pension...they plan their lives around that pension... you can't take it away. What you can do, is start taking away some of the cushy federal benefits for future and quite possibly current employees.

[HandballJim]

What I don't understand is that anywhere worth living in Cali will still cost you a fortune.
I also wish the real estate market would correct in NY...but things are not bad enough yet. The wife wants to move to a better place soon.

We do need some type of national health care system in this country. But if you think about it if you don't work...the government pretty much takes care of you. Great incentive not to better yourself.

[TheSenator]

Originally Posted by baddog

Why penalize those that already gave of themselves you selfish prick?

Cutting out health care for poor underprivileged children is wrong.

I didn't realize you were so low.
I am sure you fit into one of the 9 circles of hell.

[Sly]

I said federal when I should have said state... though it applies for both.

[TheSenator]

Originally Posted by Sly

As much as I think a lot of the federal pensions and federal employee benefits are ridiculous, you cannot simply take away somebody's pension. People take a specific job because of that pension... they pay into that pension... they work for that pension...they plan their lives around that pension... you can't take it away. What you can do, is start taking away some of the cushy federal benefits for future and quite possibly current employees.

That is why the state should pay back every dollar and end the pension program. Ending the pension program would solve a lot of problems and make it easier to stabilize the budget now and in the future.

[HandballJim]

Originally Posted by Sly

As much as I think a lot of the federal pensions and federal employee benefits are ridiculous, you cannot simply take away somebody's pension. People take a specific job because of that pension... they pay into that pension... they work for that pension...they plan their lives around that pension... you can't take it away. What you can do, is start taking away some of the cushy federal benefits for future and quite possibly current employees.

The federal government can do whatever they fucking want to...and just when I am ready to retire they are predicting social security to dry up. Bottom line is the foolish spending needs to stop in this country.

[broke]

Originally Posted by TheSenator

Cutting out health care for poor underprivileged children is wrong..

Who cares about underprivileged children? We need $515.4 BILLION under the discretionary authority of the DoD in 2009 to "protect the homeland".

Pffft.

[Sly]

Originally Posted by HandballJim

The federal government can do whatever they fucking want to...and just when I am ready to retire they are predicting social security to dry up. Bottom line is the foolish spending needs to stop in this country.

Our generation can very well get totally screwed on Social Security if they don't straighten the fuck out. We are paying our cut for this "federal retirement program," which is basically what it is... I would rather pay a smaller cut that would go to the elderly and the sick, and then I get to keep the rest of my cut and invest it how I see fit. I do not like my money going into some massive "retirement pool." Nobody should. They proved time and time again that they cannot manage money, why are we putting our retirement futures on their shoulders?

And before anyone asks, yes I do have a private retirement fund... that isn't the point.

[broke]

Originally Posted by Sly

Our generation can very well get totally screwed on Social Security if they don't straighten the fuck out.

Regardless of whether or not it's "straighten(ed) the fuck out" we (or our children & grandchildren) are going to get totally screwed. It's simply numbers - you have fewer people paying in now than are retiring.

[GAMEFINEST]

its not going to be a pretty sight..

[HandballJim]

Originally Posted by broke

Regardless of whether or not it's "straighten(ed) the fuck out" we (or our children & grandchildren) are going to get totally screwed. It's simply numbers - you have fewer people paying in now than are retiring.

I agree, but it seems that everything is just so expensive...and the people getting hurt most of the time is the middle class. The poor don't care...they live day by day...and the rich are not effected as much...they got that cushion money.

I got married late...so I still need to have children, and very stressed thinking about it for sure.

[2012]

[baddog]

Originally Posted by TheSenator

Cutting out health care for poor underprivileged children is wrong.

I didn't realize you were so low.
I am sure you fit into one of the 9 circles of hell.

I raised [and paid] for my kids. No guilt here.

[GAMEFINEST]

dont have any kids unless you got cash

[KillerK]

California has way too many illegals here that don't pay for shit, and too many welfare people living off the system. Getting paid cash for jobs while they take free healthcare, free housing etc.

[KillerK]

Originally Posted by GAMEFINEST

dont have any kids unless you got cash

or you are black

[DaddyHalbucks]

Originally Posted by KillerK

California has way too many illegals here that don't pay for shit, and too many welfare people living off the system. Getting paid cash for jobs while they take free healthcare, free housing etc.

Bingo!

[Rochard]

Fucking idiots.

While property taxes were through the roof did they put any money away for a rainy day?

Do you honestly mean the government of California couldn't see this coming? They knew the housing market was going to crash. Of all people they should have seen this coming.

[2012]

[2012]

[After Shock Media]

Most of the issues are directly caused by the very people that vote in the first place and supported by those who do not take much or any interest in local and state politics. Can be very hard to hold the actual state fully responsible, especially when nearly every time anyone asks to raise money from the citizens it nearly always gets rejected, then every idea that pops up that gives people something seems to get passed. Pile on assorted selfish measures that assorted cities, and counties vote on and apply and it starts to come very clear.

What is highly annoying is that not every county or city is running their area in a piss poor fashion. Many areas have cash cushions in their reserves. They keep very sound fiscal budgets and so forth. Then they have money sucked away from them that they were owed for assorted state earmarks, so that other areas (socal) who managed their budgets in a bad fashion can stay on track and keep those people employed and such.

[Redrob]

I agree....California is fucked.

Ruled by referendum is not good government.

[FilthyRob]

Originally Posted by baddog

I raised [and paid] for my kids. No guilt here.

Me too! Nice point Baddog

[2012]

its bean real

[kane]

Originally Posted by KillerK

California has way too many illegals here that don't pay for shit, and too many welfare people living off the system. Getting paid cash for jobs while they take free healthcare, free housing etc.

There is a lot of truth in this statement.

[kane]

Originally Posted by Sly

Our generation can very well get totally screwed on Social Security if they don't straighten the fuck out. We are paying our cut for this "federal retirement program," which is basically what it is... I would rather pay a smaller cut that would go to the elderly and the sick, and then I get to keep the rest of my cut and invest it how I see fit. I do not like my money going into some massive "retirement pool." Nobody should. They proved time and time again that they cannot manage money, why are we putting our retirement futures on their shoulders?

And before anyone asks, yes I do have a private retirement fund... that isn't the point.

While I agree that our generation may get screwed out of Social Security I don't think privatizing it is the way to go. Here is why. If you leave it up to people to save on their own most simply won't do it. If you make it mandatory that people have the money taken from their checks and put into an account then you at least get the money saved, but really how many people are savvy enough to correctly invest that money? How many would have put their money in companies like GM, Ford and AIG because they were huge companies and felt safe? Those people could have lost everything.

What ends up happening is that you now start asking Joe Bob the average guy to not only work a 40 hour week and take care of his home and family, but he also has to become an investor and he has to risk his future on the quality of those investments that he makes. If he just leaves the money in a basic account that draws a little interest then there is a pretty good chance that he won't wave enough in that account to live on when he retires.

Privatized social security is one of those things that sounds cool, but it is a disaster waiting to happen. We very well could end up with an entire generation that has no money to live on and we have no federal money set aside to help them. Social Security can be fixed, it just is going to take some people to make some tough choices and do the work. I would love to see Social Security continue but also start some kind of plan where people could opt to take say 1% less taken out in social security tax and have that money (plus whatever more you may want to add in) put into a separate IRA or something like that for each person. This way when you retire you can get social security, but you also have access to whatever is in that IRA as a second form of income.

[2012]

that is some beautiful shit right there

[2012]

it's deep man

[baddog]

Originally Posted by Rochard

Fucking idiots.

While property taxes were through the roof did they put any money away for a rainy day?

Do you honestly mean the government of California couldn't see this coming? They knew the housing market was going to crash. Of all people they should have seen this coming.

edit , edit, edit

I will be nice.

[Pleasurepays]

yay socialism!

[Pleasurepays]

"The Democrats who control the Legislature do not want major spending cuts, but so far they don't have a plan for closing the deficit. And if their solution is higher taxes and more borrowing, they will probably not have enough Republican votes to get the two-thirds approval needed for passage."

[baddog]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

"The Democrats who control the Legislature do not want major spending cuts, but so far they don't have a plan for closing the deficit. And if their solution is higher taxes and more borrowing, they will probably not have enough Republican votes to get the two-thirds approval needed for passage."

Tell me about it.

[Pleasurepays]

[nation-x]

Originally Posted by GAMEFINEST

I mostly feel for the kids and poor families who cant afford health insurance..

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090523/...y_of_reckoning

So is your link directory full of links to sites with illegal downloads. Stupid fuck.

[nation-x]

Originally Posted by KillerK

California has way too many illegals here that don't pay for shit, and too many welfare people living off the system. Getting paid cash for jobs while they take free healthcare, free housing etc.

This is a basic contributor to almost every states financial problems. We need to do something about illegal immigration now or it will just get worse. Another huge contributor is that our manufacturing base is leaving the country like the Israelites leaving Egypt.

[Sly]

Originally Posted by kane

While I agree that our generation may get screwed out of Social Security I don't think privatizing it is the way to go. Here is why. If you leave it up to people to save on their own most simply won't do it. If you make it mandatory that people have the money taken from their checks and put into an account then you at least get the money saved, but really how many people are savvy enough to correctly invest that money? How many would have put their money in companies like GM, Ford and AIG because they were huge companies and felt safe? Those people could have lost everything.

What ends up happening is that you now start asking Joe Bob the average guy to not only work a 40 hour week and take care of his home and family, but he also has to become an investor and he has to risk his future on the quality of those investments that he makes. If he just leaves the money in a basic account that draws a little interest then there is a pretty good chance that he won't wave enough in that account to live on when he retires.

Privatized social security is one of those things that sounds cool, but it is a disaster waiting to happen. We very well could end up with an entire generation that has no money to live on and we have no federal money set aside to help them. Social Security can be fixed, it just is going to take some people to make some tough choices and do the work. I would love to see Social Security continue but also start some kind of plan where people could opt to take say 1% less taken out in social security tax and have that money (plus whatever more you may want to add in) put into a separate IRA or something like that for each person. This way when you retire you can get social security, but you also have access to whatever is in that IRA as a second form of income.

Yeh, this is always the counter argument when I mention privatizing Social Security. It's always "people are so busy with their 40 hour work week and kids, how could we possibly ask them to spend five hours a year meeting with a financial planner to balance their investments?"

Sorry, I think it's a silly argument. Very very silly. If people can't spend five hours a year working on their retirement (yes, that's all it really takes,) then I really don't know what to say... that's just beyond retarded. There are so many different types of funds and investments set up that automatically balance your retirement portfolio according to your goals and your age it isn't even funny. Everyone is busy, everyone! Time management is about shifting your time into areas that are a priority... retirement is a priority to anyone with any sort of vision at all. To those without a vision... they need to wake up.

Bare minimum... take my 15%, give the old and sick 5%, put another 5% in some retarded slush fund that politicians can rape and pillage as they see fit, let me decide where the last 5% goes.

[Loryn]

Originally Posted by baddog

Stop being a welfare state is a much better idea.

Yes sir and now these crazy groups want to push Washington to fund the same crap all over the country, so we all end up the same way!!! No one is going to be turned anyway if they need to see a doctor. We do not do that. Even the Mexicans that come up from Mexico and are not legal get medical services, how come people who live here don't get that???

[seeandsee]

shifty times

[collegeboobies]

yeah california is screwed. I dont feel bad for people not getting welfare anymore though