California Faces Huge Budget Surplus
LOS ANGELES — After years of grueling battles over state budget deficits and spending cuts, California has a new challenge on its hands: too much money. An unexpected surplus is fueling an argument over how the state should respond to its turn of good fortune.
The amount is a matter of debate, but by any measure significant: between $1.2 billion, projected by Gov. Jerry Brown, and $4.4 billion, the estimate of the Legislature’s independent financial analyst. The surplus comes barely three years after the state was facing a deficit of close to $60 billion.
At first glance, the situation should be welcome news in a state overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats, who have spent much of their time slashing programs they support. After last November’s elections, the party has two-thirds majorities in the Assembly and the Senate, relegating Republicans almost completely to the sidelines.
Instead, the surplus has set off a debate about the durability of new revenues, and whether the money should be used to reverse some of the spending cuts or set aside to guard against the inevitable next economic downturn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/us/californias-new-problem-too-much-money.html?hp&_r=1&
= new reply since forum marked as read
Now we can discuss allocations not cuts.
Funny and strange.
Do you like pizza?
That is what is needed where I live as there is little if any of it to be found.
If you cannot drive any more, you must take a taxi into town and back for ~$85.00.
This situation needs to change as the rural areas of the state are losing residents quickly as there are no jobs and things are indeed in quite a depressed state (always have been here; likely always will be).
Also, Gov. Brown, the roads in this state need lots of work. Too many potholes and too many problems with the infrastructure had you not noticed. I heard the Bay Bridge was a fiasco and perhaps a major problem as well because, it was not built right and it has major risks associated with it.
I could go on and on and on, but I won't.
Lots to be done with this surplus and I rather suspect it could be quickly gone in a *flash* just like we've seen in the past.
Luckily, Gov. Brown is a prudent man and I hope his vision for the environment continues to be a major force in his plans for this state (i.e. public transportation!).
have an underwater bridge? And if all of that extra money was spent on jobs to repair roads and bridges, then that will create more paychecks that would have to be taxed which would create a larger surplus! Where would you have this vicious circle stop?
Because I got in trouble with another post for not using it.
and all the millionaires would leave the state, leaving behind only the "takers"
How can this be so?
Republicans manage to buy, cheat, rig, create-a-crisis-with-out-of-state-corporate-backing (Enron), or kill their way back into power, wreck everything again, then make sure it stays wrecked because their entire agenda depends on crisis and distraction.
That rainy day?
Now that the Republicans have been marginalized here, we need to work on getting rid of them completely so they never come back... like bedbugs. You gotta get the eggs, too.
I think it needs a 'roid needle sticking out of Arnold's butt.
...that's what happens. 
