California on 'verge of system failure'

Originally posted by Violater1

Originally posted by Incubus
California pays more into the system than it receives.

Source please.
If it doesn't exist, it's not real.

Here

www.taxfoundation.org...

California received .78 per $1 paid to the feds in taxes in 2005, the last time that Cali was in the positives was in more than 100% balance was in 1985. I don't know the stats for 2009 but the trend has been going down.

Interestingly, many of the richer states receive less Federal spending per dollar paid in taxes than many poorer (and conservative) states. This sounds like socialism to me on the state level. How about you conservatives in Idaho and Utah start practicing what you preach and only take your fair share of Federal spending.

I am not defending how the California is run however. California GDP is around $1.8 trillion. California has extensive coastlines and rich resources. There is absolutely no excuse for California to be in the economic condition it is is.

Well there are three excuses.

1. California pays too much into the Federal budget but doesn't get its share in benefits. The Feds are robbing California.

2. The California government is beholden to special interests whether it be government unions or Enron types that suck out the money from the state like vampires thereby requiring higher taxes and chasing out more productivity.

3. California is paying for things Mexico should be paying for. We should be sending Mexico a big fat bill for us paying for their social net. We educate their children, we care for their sick, we imprison their criminals, we provide welfare for their poor.

While we in California are responsible for the government we elect, there are too many external problems that we cannot solve. Even if our government was 100% fiscally responsible, provided a good business climate all the time, and got rid of the illegals, the Feds would have more of an excuse to increase their fiscal vampire powers.

California is whining to the Federal Government?
The Obamanation will bail them out at tax payer expense, he has no choice California is "to big to fail" and “it’s the right thing to do”.

The problem as I see it is that the average middle class worker doesn't have a job and can no longer be used as a "cash-cow" to fund government social programs that everyone seems to consider necessary.
The manufacturing jobs have all been taxed or unionized out of business or moved to a more business friendly environment.

In hosting America's largest population of illegal immigrants, California bears a huge cost to provide basic human services for this fast growing, low-income segment of its population. A new study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) examines the costs of education, health care and incarceration of illegal aliens, and concludes that the costs to Californians is $10.5 billion per year.

"Nineteen ninety-four was the same year that California voters rebelled and overwhelmingly passed Proposition 187, which sought to limit liability for mass illegal immigration. Since then, state and local governments have blatantly ignored the wishes of the voters and continued to shell out publicly financed benefits on illegal aliens,"...

usgovinfo.about.com...

Simple and easy fix to part of the problem is:
1. Require proof of legal residency and a clean drug test in order to qualify for social benefits.
2. Encourage manufacturing to return by lowering business taxes and raising import taxes.
3. Enforce the immigration laws on businesses that hire illegal aliens and deport any illegal aliens that are caught.

[Sarcasm] Barring that give the problem to the economics professors at Berkley, I’m sure they can come up with a course of action that won’t require any pain for the illegal aliens, or raising taxes on the remaining taxpayers. [/Sarcasm]

Lucidity, Whose fault is it in, say, Michigan?

As a long time resident of Michigan I can say unequivocally that it is Michigan’s liberal policies, and the proclivity of our Governors (Jennifer Granholm, from Canada) to concentrate on Detroit to the detriment of the rest of the state. I also recommend the same fix for Michigan:
1. Require proof of legal residency and a clean drug test in order to qualify for social benefits.
2. Encourage manufacturing to return by lowering business taxes and raising import taxes.
3. Enforce the immigration laws on businesses that hire illegal aliens and deport any illegal aliens that are caught.

reply to post by SevenThunders


Your personal judgments, my friend, are far from holding any substance, and certainly do not constitute "evidence" of much of anything. So you go first...

For the record, I wasn't necessarily entirely responding to your post; I just happen to hit the "REPLY" button at that point.

reply to post by DimensionalDetective

www.uhuh.com...

That says it all, over $100 billion in gold being stolen from Californians by one of it's own representatives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Classic.

Too bad the people of California and the rest of the country aren't paying attention. If a large group of people were to "visit" the area and see what is actually going on, then they might do something to stop it. But not likely.

Originally posted by Capt.Spaulding
I'm from the midwest and ended up living in California for 28 years. Of which I owned a small business in santa Barbara for 12 of those years.

Lots of good hard working people there just like everywhere else.

It's not "socialism" It's more like capitalism, run amuk. Or even a better term, "corporate socialism". Governed by a REPUBLICAN, NOT a liberal democrat!

One of the reasons SB is falling apart because of property investors and landlords keeping commercial and residential property leases so astronomically high. Small businesses are closing all the time, and are being forced to fire, and not be able to hire employees, or afford benefits for them or even themselves.

If the rental property owners, who all own multiple properties (a lot of these people don't even live there, and a lot even out of state) were realistic about heir bottom line vs the quality of life for the residents, more people would be employed and insured. Period.

I'll bet I could name 20 businesses that went under because of greedy landlords. And even more (with families) who lost their leases on their homes and apartments because a larger investor came in and raised the rent.

It's greed that's screwing things up. That and they have to stop voting movie stars into the Governors office. (look where THAT got us the first time). Oh and I worked in the film biz for 14 years and worked with Arnold closely once. After that I couldn't believe he was voted in to office when I was there).

There's good people there who love their families, and where they live. Don't paint them all with such a wide brush.

It's actually like that all over the desirable areas of CA. Take a look at Monterrey, Marin county, SF Bay area, Napa valley wine country etc. etc. However it's not the greedy landlords who are sticking it to the masses. It's rather the law of supply and demand. CA has strict controls on housing development and a number of hurdles that make housing scarce.

So it's government control that actually drives the cost of housing up. However would you want unrestrained development in these desirable coastal areas? I don't think you will ever see the cost of housing drop in resort areas. That's a natural reflection of their desirability. You can't blame it on greedy capitalists.

Well I have to say it is pretty crazy here seeing all of this....the once golden state is now turning green like copper....but hey this november we are hopping to pass a tax on marijuana to make it legal state wide, it will produce over a billion dollars I'm sure that will help and not to mention those inmates are actually small minor offenders(I know its prison how minor) but for pot related crimes and that will help the over crowding here. IMO

One state in OUR country's goint to sh.. and some of these hillbilly rednecks are happy? Are you kidding me?

Originally posted by brainwrek
Damn glad to see those socialistic scumbags in CA are about to reap what they sow.

They deserve each and every ounce of pain they are about to experience.

kind of like how we in CA hope you get sit on a burning iron rod.


California going bankrupt is totally as a result of not legalizing and taxing marijuana. There's really not much else to boost the economy short of making taxpayers accountable.

it seems like this is all a precursor to what may come as martial law. with one hundred and forty thousand inmates free how can this be anything good? with states losing all their money, local parks, libraries, cut down police forces on duty, public transportation; what kind of solutions will the people of this country turn to to stay out of debt? this all seems very systematical.

has anybody ever heard the rumor that martial law wont come to california and texas? if anybody has anything to add itd be greatly appreciated, i dont remember where i heard this rumor from..

Originally posted by RamsOnTop
One state in OUR country's goint to sh.. and some of these hillbilly rednecks are happy? Are you kidding me?

media outlet extremism pushes that idea that california is a liberal hot bed, as a result idiot conservatives incessantly want california to fail so they can feel like they stuck it to "liberals and gays". Only a bunch of backwards no brain having dumbasses want the biggest economy in the US to fail


bill o reilly has said before that if terrorists attacked San Francisco, we should do nothing.

Reading this thread is a little sickening, to be honest. Why all the hate?? Here are some of my favorite quotes so far:

"Damn glad to see those socialistic scumbags in CA are about to reap what they sow.
They deserve each and every ounce of pain they are about to experience. "


"Bring it down baby bring it down!!! As much as I hate to say it let it all come crashing down all across this land!"


"In fact, we would all be better off if CA broke off and floated away, as long as you took all of your politicians, illegal aliens, and hippies with you. "


"And San Fransisco? I'm not going to shed any tears when that falls into the ocean.... "

You all realize there's more to this state than Hollywood, yuppies, illegals, hippies, etc., right?
We also have completely innocent children, hard working, decent Americans, an amazing variety of wildlife, beautiful forests and beaches, and historical sites.
And you would wish all of this destroyed simply because of the incompetent politicians running the show? Ever heard the phrase "throwing the baby out with the bath water"? Because that's exactly what you're doing.
As much as I disagree with conservatives, I would never wish a red state to meet its demise, or be harmed in any way.
We are still the United States right?

Isn't Arnold a Republican? I find comments like this revolting, like Bush didn't sink us right?

Reply to post by hawkiye

Haha I could not agree more. This is what happens when too many democrats live in your state. Spending without thinking. I do not feel sorry for cali at all. Maybe they should start taxing all those out spoken celebs that talk constant non sense. Its no wonder so many of them go broke so quickly.

Or maybe they could find a way to tax all the illegals drug selling


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

California is the world's 8th largest economy. For anyone who thinks that it would be great if the center there does not hold and things fly apart (and from reading some of the more dimwitted posts in this thread, there's more than a few) think again. You have no conception of what kind of systemic shock that would cause to the US and world economy.

Originally posted by piddles

Only a bunch of backwards no brain having dumbasses want the biggest economy in the US to fail

So because I do not care for California much I am a backwords, no brain having dumbass?

If I am not mistaken are you the one who blamed California's economical crisis on the fact that pot is illegal in your state???

Hey genius, pot is illegal all over the U.S. and no other state is blaming illegal drugs for their failing economies

Light up another one, put on some Hendrix and everything will take care of its self man, no need to worry.

Good thing I am the one who has "no brain and is backwords" I would like to point out that the reason I think the U.S. is in the mess it is in is because robbery and assault are illegal. If these two things were legalized and taxed (kind of like food stamps but there would be assault and robbery vouchers) everyone would be able to have what they want... well at least most of us, survival of the fittest and all

reply to post by brainwrek


I appreciate your sentiment since I am a resident of central california and in no way contributed or approved of most of the actions of my state representatives. I did my best to vote them out and even if that had worked someone else would get into office and ignore the voice of the people. Good thing your not close to here because its not the politicians that will hurt, its the people that they stand on and some in these trenches would not be so willing to let your ignorant attitude slide for too long.
I myself, choose to let individuals who wish suffering on anyone, be. Good luck in this life and I hope you are not judged as harshly as you judge others.

[edit on 19-6-2010 by eazyriderl_l]

reply to post by vanilla juggernaut


Then they were pretty ignorant to think that allowing illegal aliens who don't pay taxes and are a drain on the tax base and send their money home to roam free for so many years. And they were pretty ignorant to think that offshore tax shelters for the moneymakers in Hollywood wouldn't drain them. And they were pretty ignorant to allow Silicon Valley and other jobs to be offshored.

The one poor schmuck still working and paying taxes there simply can't carry the burden. I mean anyone who couldn't have foreseen this at least as far back as the Reagan years, is quite simply put, a dumbass. When people started trying to blame all of California's woes on the teachers unions is when I pretty much threw my hands up. I guess now it's the talking thing to blame the hippies.

And again, again, the whole country is pretty much in this same boat.

Release all prisoners incarcerated due to marijuana related crimes.

Save millions.

Legalize marijuana across the state, state and federally, tax it.

Make millions.


Not saying I even support the use of marijuana, I'm just saying how they could get a VERY good start on fixing this mess.


[edit on 19-6-2010 by The_Zomar]

Originally posted by RamsOnTop
One state in OUR country's goint to sh.. and some of these hillbilly rednecks are happy? Are you kidding me?

Not all of us hillbilly rednecks are happy.

I would love to see Cali. get out of this.

Because if Cali. defaults who's left to pick up the tab.

My kids and your kids and their future looks bleak now so if state bail outs start rolling down from the hill it will collapse your country and my country.