Arnold to declare financial emergency in California.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-12-18 03:49am

Around 7pm our time the radio started hopping with word that Arnold is going to pull some big shit tomorrow. ( my words not theirs. )

Evidently he will declare a financial emergency and take some sort of major power over the budget. What is triggering this? Well, when he recinded the increase in the VLF ( vehicle license fee ) the state is now short some 4 billion dollars immediately.

They 've already closed some fires stations here because they dont have the money to pay the bills. So, now Arnold is gonna take money from someplace else evidently. I guess all that talk about finding the waste and cutting the fat turned out to be bullshit. Not so easy to find waste and fat afterall.

Well tomorrow out to be an interesting day.

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2003-12-18 03:53am

I guess Arnie's learning that the GOP's creation math doesn't really work all that well in the real world.

Bob McDob · Post by **Bob McDob** » 2003-12-18 05:29am

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-12-18 05:31am

I've kind of been waiting for this to happen since he rescinded that car tax.

Where is there to draw money from?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-12-18 08:27am

Gandalf wrote:I've kind of been waiting for this to happen since he rescinded that car tax.

Where is there to draw money from?

Invade Nevada, pilliage Vegas.

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2003-12-18 08:31am

*Cue Imperial March*

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2003-12-18 09:54am

Sharp-kun wrote:*Cue Imperial March*

Wouldn't the Terminator theme be more appropriate?

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-12-18 11:37am

Gandalf wrote:I've kind of been waiting for this to happen since he rescinded that car tax.

Where is there to draw money from?

Other programs. Borrowing. The usual. Getting rid of the VLF was popular with a lot of people, I dont think they actually understood how much is funded by it.

The Penultimate Ninja · Post by **The Penultimate Ninja** » 2003-12-18 12:10pm

I didn't vote for Arnold, but if he creates a greater Californian co-prosperity sphere, I'm fine with that.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-12-18 12:17pm

I've been saying it for years: legalize and tax pot.

ZShade · Post by **ZShade** » 2003-12-18 08:13pm

Crown wrote:
Sharp-kun wrote:*Cue Imperial March*
Wouldn't the Terminator theme be more appropriate?

Nah, the Conan theme.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-12-18 08:22pm

I have a revolutionary new answer that just might work. Wait for it.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

OK, you know, I was thinking, when the rest of us are short on cash, we often have to cut down on our spending. Because we can't afford some of the things we used to be able to afford. I was thinking, and I may be going on a limb here, but maybe, the government could try doing the same thing. Call me crazy, but that just might work.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-12-18 11:19pm

Joe wrote:I have a revolutionary new answer that just might work. Wait for it.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

OK, you know, I was thinking, when the rest of us are short on cash, we often have to cut down on our spending. Because we can't afford some of the things we used to be able to afford. I was thinking, and I may be going on a limb here, but maybe, the government could try doing the same thing. Call me crazy, but that just might work.

Nothing wrong with cutting spending, but you dont cut your revenue streams either. Thats kinda like not showing up to work 2 days a week to save money on gas.

Arnold is playing a shell game right now, not really cutting spending. Thats why this is so annoying. Some of the local pundits say he is playing a chess game to get to the eventuall spending cuts we need. I dunno if that is true, but time will tell.

BlkbrryTheGreat · Post by **BlkbrryTheGreat** » 2003-12-19 12:15am

Sort of intellegent on Arnold's part, create a crisis that will give him power that will let him solve California's crisis without the legislature's intervention of approval. Good for California, not good for Democracy.

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2003-12-19 12:19am

I didn't know Arnold was a Sith Lord....

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2003-12-19 12:20am

Solauren wrote:I didn't know Arnold was a Sith Lord....

Well, he does wear a Piaget.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2003-12-19 01:05am

The Penultimate Ninja wrote:I didn't vote for Arnold, but if he creates a greater Californian co-prosperity sphere, I'm fine with that.

At the first sign of a Californian invasion of Oregon, Plan R will go into effect.

You are, however, quite free to invade other states.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2003-12-19 01:22am

Schwarzenegger fought like hell to put a spending-cap into law so that we could try to get the money under control, but the democrats in the legislature stonewalled it until he had to give in order to pass any budget at all. This is happening because he had no other options.

Here's some more California craziness for you; There's a movement to streamline California government by getting rid of the senate and legislature and creating a 100-member assembly.

How's that grab ya?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-12-19 01:22am

This may be a very smart move, folks. California's fiscal problem, from what I have gathered due to news reports, is largely due to a set of restrictive laws which prohibit major tax increases or spending cuts without a variety of majorities and even popular votes in some cases. It effectively ties the governor's hands so he can't take the steps he needs, and the populace has proven that it is not mentally competent to vote on individual tax increases or spending cuts. So by declaring a state of emergency, he can override all of that bullshit in order to get the job done.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2003-12-19 01:40am

Exactly. He's declared a fiscal Martial Law to get things done.

He took on predator, he can get the job done in the legislature.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-12-19 02:55am

Darth Wong wrote:This may be a very smart move, folks. California's fiscal problem, from what I have gathered due to news reports, is largely due to a set of restrictive laws which prohibit major tax increases or spending cuts without a variety of majorities and even popular votes in some cases. It effectively ties the governor's hands so he can't take the steps he needs, and the populace has proven that it is not mentally competent to vote on individual tax increases or spending cuts. So by declaring a state of emergency, he can override all of that bullshit in order to get the job done.

California is both blessed and cursed with a Propositon system which allows for forms of direct democracy. This allows the voters to get things passed the legislature does not want or cant get done. Now, the downside is the unintented consequences of poorly written laws.

Schools are mandated by law to get x amount of money. Property taxes are much lower than other states, but our houses cost more than most people can imagine. And no, wages are not proportional. So you have a state that is in real trouble.

Throw in the after effects of the dot com boom, which really only made a tiny amount of people wealthy, a few people did well, most broke even or lost. And you have a sick, broken, state full of angry voters not willing to accept what must be done.

I personally felt the VLF should be trippled. At least for now. I dont agree with car taxes paying for fire coverage, but you can fix that in a crisis. Also, the state is just getting plain fucking full. Services like roads, sewer, schools, etc just cant keep pace with the reckless growth.

Anyway, you guys get the idea. Its bad here, but enough people including me, feel its home. Thus we stay and struggle and generally like it here for all its faults.

SPOOFE · Post by **SPOOFE** » 2003-12-19 03:37am

Gee, the anti-Arnie crowd apparently couldn't wait to try the ol Generic Attack On Conservative Politician scheme. Y'know what I'm talking about... it's like a Mad-Lib. "[Insert Name Of Person In Office] is evil! He wants to be a [Insert Title of Fascist Leadership Position]! He wants to control [Insert Name of State or Country]! He wants to take away our right to [Verb that Democrats like to do]!"

Yeesh. Aren't y'all forgetting that financial emergency PRECEDED Arnold into office?

C.S.Strowbridge · Post by **C.S.Strowbridge** » 2003-12-19 03:41am

Sea Skimmer wrote:
Gandalf wrote:I've kind of been waiting for this to happen since he rescinded that car tax.

Where is there to draw money from?
Invade Nevada, pilliage Vegas.

I would donate to his reelection campaign if he did that.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-12-19 03:47am

C.S.Strowbridge wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:
Gandalf wrote:I've kind of been waiting for this to happen since he rescinded that car tax.

Where is there to draw money from?
Invade Nevada, pilliage Vegas.
I would donate to his reelection campaign if he did that.

I think we should bring back the days of warring city states. The weak states are engulfed by the strong ones.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-12-19 04:49am

Utah's lookin mighty weak, we might consider that one too, they have that funky cult we can use to rally the proles around too.....