"Californians are not directly responsible for the state's budget debacle"

Bull - they voted for prop 13

The voted for Reagan

They voted for the current governor who was part of the Enron board that deliberately screwed them on their power, and energy reform. He was elected because of a crisis that he created working with Enron, and most the voters in California are so stupid, Fox news spoon fed, they didn't even know he was part of the Enron problem.

The voted for Reagan who was part of the Iran/Contra plot gun for hostages, and to make sure the hostages stayed hostages until after the elections.

They voted for the Reagan/Republican revolution - that promised you wouldn't lose any services, but you wouldn't have to pay taxes... everything the government did would be debt your kids could pay, but not you.

California not only did it to themselves, they did it to the rest of us.

It's racist to say that undocumented, non-tax-paying consumers of public services could have any kind of drawback to a state budget. It'd probably be discriminatory to mention that undocumented workers who get paid under the table are not cannot be covered by their employers' workman's comp when they're injured on the job and have to visit the ER, where they are unable to cover medical costs themselves. It's definitely bigoted to mention that the children of non-taxpayers attendance at school might make it hard for the state to cover payment for teachers.

Math is racist against illegal immigrants. Because illegal immigrants are always a different race than Californians, who compose one of the most multi-ethnic populations in the country. Yeah, that argument makes sense.

I suppose it'd be mean to kick out the illegals, but I guess legal, documented Californians will just have to tighten their belts.

sucks and they totally deserve it.

Smug bastards, the lot of em.

They used to call Californians "equity refugees" because real estate was so much cheaper in the Pacific Northwest.

The Golden State's greatest asset is its diverse economy: high tech, defense industry, entertainment and agriculture. This has generated enormous wealth but also fed the creation of a large service sector full of people who toil for very little and rely on social services to make ends meet.

The attitude of some is, the state can't stop illegal immigration but we don't have to pay for it. Education is underfunded and public health care services maxxed.

drive up or down Rt. 1, eat in SF, people watch, then leave.

lately, its been too depressing to visit there. the people not only seem their usual acidy drugged out selves, but also pissed off, like dry drunks.

Berkeley seemed to be full of sullen dicks angry at the world. LA is all selfishness and bravado.

I do not know what their problem is, but it is not as simple as some awry past legislation. Maybe all the dreamers flocked out to the West Coast. Maybe everyone feels powerless. Maybe there are two competing political cartels choking all reality out of the process. Maybe everyone threw their hands up after seeing 12 million Mexicans just saunter across the border.

If it was me, I would cut everything across the board EQUALLY. If the state budget is $250 billion, cut everything 10%, no exceptions. People will find ways when given no choice.

I would make pot the state crop, legalize and tax it and send entourages around the world to find new markets to export it to, as soon as they are helped in making it legal in their own nations.

I would sell of excess assets. damn everything.

I would fire 1/3 of the government staff. they are mere leeches.

I would drop taxes on enterprising businesses to ZERO. Encourage flow back into the state.

More casinos, on the coast. Throw a bunch of money at renewables. Start more factories producing solar and wind.

Get rid of some of the legislation killing enterprising businesses.

Send half the Mexicans BACK to Mexico. Randomly, for all I care. Make the other half legal, but for only 10 years, make them pay taxes.

Sell the Mojave to China. Hell, throw in the Salton Sea as well.

Encourage Bollywood directors to relocate to Hollywood. Encourage Hong Kong directors to move to Hollywood.

Put the gays on treadmills connected to the power grid.

That's it for now. I see all these changes making California the fastest growing economy in the world by 2020.

seem not to think about this mess too much. Their observation goes as far as, people aren't eating out in nice restaurants as often. Apparently a lot of the population has been "insulated" from the crisis.

"maybe you loons will learn to depend on yourselves and quit suckling off the government teat.

today they tax you, tomorrow they tell you you need to be shackled, the day after they will tell you you need to die to save the planet. Meanwhile, they themselves live, live free, and prosper. Thus, government is inherently EVIL and masochistic.

"

Who is they? You act like government is some dark lord that should be put to the sword. I know Republicans want to put it to the sword, but why Californians should want to allow them to do it is beyond me. As for "dieing to save the planet" and the shackles, that makes no sense, so i'm not even sure where to begin.

"It has been suggested here and other places that one of the problems crippling the state is the 2/3 majority for passing a budget and tax increases. To the contrary, this is saving us from possibly outrageous taxes. "

Sweet, and pretty soon it will save your children from being educated, roads from getting paved, sewage from getting treated, and hospitals from treating you when you are sick. Congratulations!

but this year Texas is producing MORE jobs than ALL 49 OF THE OTHER STATES PUT TOGETHER.

Austin is PARADISE. Twice as fun and pleasant as California at a quarter of the cost. Oodles of organic food. Great cheap restaurants--- the cheapest large city in the nation for foodies. Independent video shops that movie mavens from LA drool over. Beautiful girls that movie actors from LA can only dream about back home. Kind, good, smart people who let you into traffic. People who are vaguely liberal but are also PRAGMATIC. Great natural resources. Tons of fun, quirky places. A homegrown chic design aesthetic that is unique. More artists and creative organizations per capita than any place save for Santa Fe. Excellent iconoclasts like (sadly gone) Molly Ivins, Willie, Richard Garriott (legendary game designer), Robert Sterling (futurist), Mike Judge, Alex Jones and scads of others.

Someone recently put it, Austinites see every day as a GIFT. That is one wise man.

Other places in Texas that aren't half bad: The Hill Country is every bit as charming as any part of the Inland Empire or San Diego County. South Padre is the FUTURE Miami Beach. Dallas/Ft. Worth, while part of the bible belt, is actually fun to visit occasionally for its world class shopping, great restaurants, surprisingly good museums. San Antonio has its revered Riverwalk and some great, old, historic neighborhoods. Even poor old Galveston has bits of New Orleans and Charleston in its downtown district. Big Bend is a smaller version of the grand canyon. The towns to the West of Big Bend, Lajitas, Alpine, Marfa, are another world altogether, with the incredible Davis Mountains (that look not so much as anywhere but Scotland) running north from them. Houston? Well I like to rip on it any chance I get, but even it has a lot of redeeming qualities, as long as you bring a military grade high clearance vehicle to ford the potholes literally everywhere.

Laugh your head off, but sad sorry Texas is doing awfully well right about now compared to the rest of the spend happy country.