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REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS
Austerity, here we come !
Sunday, May 13, 2012 2:04 AM
AURAPTOR
America loves a winner!
Quote: California deficit has soared to $16 billion, Gov. Jerry Brown says May 12, 2012 | 11:54 am Gov. Jerry Brown announced on Saturday that the state's deficit has ballooned to $16 billion, a huge increase over his $9.2-billion estimate in January. The bigger deficit is a significant setback for California, which has struggled to turn the page on a devastating budget crisis. Brown, who announced the deficit on YouTube, is expected to outline his full budget proposal on Monday in Sacramento. "This means we will have to go much further, and make cuts far greater, than I asked for at the beginning of the year," Brown said in the video. Lawmakers and others were hoping that a rebounding economy would help the state avoid steep cuts to social services. But revenue in April, the most important month of the year for income taxes, fell far short of expectations, leading to a shortfall of at least $3 billion in the current fiscal year. The state has also spent $2.1 billion more than expected, according to the controller, further worsening California's financial health. Advocates involved in budget discussions say they expect deeper cuts to social services than Brown originally proposed in January. Union officials are also in negotiations with administration officials about ways to reduce state payroll costs, an issue that wasn't on the table earlier this year. Brown has said there will be even deeper cuts, mostly to public education, if voters do not improve tax hikes in November. He is seeking a quarter-cent increase in the state sales tax for four years and a seven-year hike on incomes of $250,000 or more that will range from 1 to 3 percentage points. He says the measure would raise $9 billion in the upcoming budget year.
Sunday, May 13, 2012 2:55 AM
KWICKO
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)
Sunday, May 13, 2012 3:22 AM
Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:06 AM
M52NICKERSON
DALEK!
Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:11 AM
Quote:Originally posted by m52nickerson: Europe has proven that austerity measures do not work, so why would California want to use them?
Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:26 AM
NIKI2
Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...
Quote:Texas Governor Rick Perry treated guests to a barbecue lunch paid for by a wealthy businessman. Supporters of California Governor Jerry Brown munched on hot dogs at a union-sponsored picnic. The stark contrast in inaugural menus last month highlights the different approaches the two most populous U.S. states are taking to deal with massive budget deficits.
Quote:Perry, a Republican, campaigned on the strength of the Texas economy and made political hay of the fact the Lone Star state had avoided California's massive deficit, pegged at $25.4 billion through the upcoming budget year. Now Texas faces a budget deficit estimated as high as $27 billion.
Quote: It has traditionally ranked low among U.S. states in public funding for education and social programs.
Quote:Experts say Texas' budget has been under pressure for years. The state used about $6.4 billion in federal funds from the 2009 Recovery Act to fill a shortfall in its 2010-2011 budget cycle.
Quote:Texas relied more heavily on stimulus funding to fill its budget hole than any other state: Turns out Texas was the state that depended the most on those very stimulus funds to plug nearly 97% of its shortfall for fiscal 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Quote:When he made a show of rejecting some Recovery Act money, Perry said “this was pretty simple for us…We can take care of ourselves.” But Perry was the only one threatening secession as a response to government spending, even as his state took advantage of that spending more than any other. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/01/24/140478/perry-arra-97/ now he'll cut education even more, now that they're in worse shape than ever...yup, pretty predictable. As to "literally", his cuts to welfare might WELL result in people dying. Perfect use of the word, in my opinion. We'll see how it winds up for the two states. Should be interesting. Now watch Raptor blurt out a bunch of right-wing rhetorical gibberish, probably irrelevant, with no facts or figures, no cites, to back any of it up...
Sunday, May 13, 2012 5:41 AM
Sunday, May 13, 2012 7:57 AM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: With businesses relocating from CA to TX, the outlook for Texas is far better.
Quote: But hate all you want. I know, it's what you love to do best. And I love how you used the word 'literally', with out even knowing what it means.
Quote: Crassic.
Sunday, May 13, 2012 8:00 AM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: I'd rather have Texas bbq than union cooked hot dogs, any day of the week.
Sunday, May 13, 2012 8:10 AM
BLUESUNCOMPANYMAN
Sunday, May 13, 2012 2:47 PM
Quote:Originally posted by AURaptor: When, exactly, did Europe prove that ? Cut spending AND taxes, instead of raising the latter, will show results. But Europe is in so deep, so addicted to 'public goodies', that what works in one place may not work elsewhere.
Sunday, May 13, 2012 3:11 PM
PIRATENEWS
John Lee, conspiracy therapist at Hollywood award-winner History Channel-mocked SNL-spoofed PirateNew.org wooHOO!!!!!!
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