WHAT'S THE FIGURE CA PUMPS OUT TO ILLEGALS?
ANNUALLY SOMETHING LIKE 80 BILLION!!! THEY LOVE TO BAKE THE INFO.

Kudos to Mark Sanchez of the NY Jets. L.A. homeboy from USC makes Great in Big Apple. He makes me proud to be a prune picker (old name for Californians), and L.A. Lady, so to speak, born & raised in Silverlake. I never claim to be a "lady," but Sanchez was the last of a run of great QBs SC put into the NFL, and is the most successful one to date. Go, Sanchez, you're our hero.

As Favre goes out to pasture, the new generation has its Day in the Sun. We love you Mark.

To Rich, Rich October 27, 2010 at 1:20 PM:

Although we are in dire straights here in the Golden State, Time Magazine still thinks as goes CA, so goes the Country (see oe of the Nov. 2009 issues). I don't have it in front of me, but I will get that info this week if you want it, an insightful essay, indeed. There is Light at the tunnel's end.

Let's hope Jerry REALLY HAS a plan, not just hot air to get elected. At least we didn't get stuck with Meg, an egomaniac who would have given Everything to the corporations, and nothing for Joe Average slobs like us. Obviously, Jer is not in it for the money, CA is in his blood, and he cares about us working stiffs.

Quoting D.D.TODD ..."I see that it is business as usual with you lot. Of course, blame the working class and their unions for everything. THE WORKERS AND THE UNIONS DO NOT OWN THE ECONOMY, DO NOT RUN IT, AND ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRESENT ECONOMIC AND CONSTITUTIONAL MESS. GET IT?"

You're right .... The Unions just bought and OWN the politicians & legislators ... so you get you're way.

But ..... only till the money runs out .....
and that's just round the corner.

THAT's gonna be fun to watch .... as Union solidarity crumbles and the members turn against each other fighting for the spoils.

You won't be getting ANYTHING from the rest of us starting Jan. 28, 2011. Embrace the suck.

Looking at your assertion that California's school system is well funded; please do answer the question: What money do you speak of. Because the California school systems I am familiar with are anything but. Teachers are taking pay cuts left and right and class sizes are becoming so large, they amount to little more than warehousing (So pray tell, are you really surprised students aren't learning under those underfunded, abysmal conditions?). There is an average of 1000+ applications for each rare vacancy (and let's not forget the promises once made to college graduate to entice them to forego a career elsewhere and become teachers!) and the experienced need not apply - as districts can no longer afford to pay for their experience.

So please, as you appear to have information no one else is privvy to - where are those funds you speak of?

Regarding Jerry Brown, someone once asked: "If Jerry Brown is the answer, what is the question?"

If California refuses to accept the reality that VERY significant cuts are needed for FUTURE years of service for CURRENT (yes CURRENT) employees.......... then insolvency is inevitable.

Short of this, the only option is outsourcing 90+% of all of CA's employees. This ends the "employment relationship", and with it future pension growth.

By-the-way, NONE of the above eliminates ANY of the ALREADY ENORMOUS unfunded liability associated with already accrued pensions, but this can potentially be amortized over the next 304-40 years IF (and only IF) further growth ceases.

I live in California. We are doomed. Just write this state off. All of those columns
that claimed California was "in play" are a joke.

Brown, Boxer and Prop 25 are all well ahead. The ultimate nightmare begins in January.

Prop 25 combined with Prop 20 will see the Republicans in power in the next election cycle. Democrats should be very careful what they ask for...

And from the Dallas Morning News:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/1024dntexbudgetmess.274b11d.html

"Texas faces a budget crisis of truly daunting proportions, with lawmakers likely to cut sacrosanct programs such as education for the first time in memory and to lay off hundreds if not thousands of state workers and public university employees.

Texas' GOP leaders, their eyes on the Nov. 2 election, have played down the problem's size, even as the hole in the next two-year cycle has grown in recent weeks to as much as $24 billion to $25 billion. That's about 25 percent of current spending.

The gap is now proportionately larger than the deficit CALIFORNIA recently closed with cuts and fee increases, its fourth dose of budget misery since September 2008."

Hmmm... Texas, Republican, bigger debt than California, just about the worst education system in the country,... Gotta love those tax cuts

Meg Whitman has it right, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEPlZYp5-Pk&feature=player_embedded

Promises made to politically active govt employee unions regarding generous retirement benefits (when compared to the private sector) eventually cost taxpayers REAL dollars...with no profit feedback loop, governments everywhere have shot the moon on generous benefits and early retirement. Time to claw back is now, taxpayers.

The 2/3 majority requirement made a mess of things in California. Californians have been living with that mistake for too long, and Prop 25 is popular because they understand the mistake now.

WA state is considering a similar 2/3 requirement, and hopefully they will learn from California's experience.

I see that it is business as usual with you lot. Of course, blame the working class and their unions for everything. THE WORKERS AND THE UNIONS DO NOT OWN THE ECONOMY, DO NOT RUN IT, AND ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRESENT ECONOMIC AND CONSTITUTIONAL MESS. GET IT?