LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.   Exclusive Truthdig Gifts! Mr. Fish Signed Prints and T-shirts - Gore Vidal Signed First Editions
December 4, 2009
Log in / Register

 Choose a size
Text Size

Most Read

Rep. Dennis Kucinich Addresses Escalation in Afghanistan

Good Luck

Canada's Olympic Crackdown

Thank You for Not Sharing

N.Y. Senate Votes Against Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports
 * NEW! * Obama on His Own

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture

Digs
Financial Meltdown 101
Vetting Sarah Palin

Truthdig Bazaar
Losing the News

Losing the News

By Alex Jones
$16.47

The Populist Vision

The Populist Vision

By Charles Postel
$28.00

more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Moving to Run California ‘More Efficiently’

Email this item Email    Print this item Print   
Posted on Jun 4, 2009
ENTER_ALT_TEXT
Flickr / William van Bergen

The California State Capitol in Sacramento.

On a desperate mission to save California from a $24 billion budget gap, a legislative committee voted to eliminate both the Secretary of Education office, a whopping $2.2 million endeavor, and the Office of Planning and Research ($50 million), while the Waste Management Board, stuffed with ex-lawmakers with six-figure salaries, would see its responsibilities enhanced. 

The Los Angeles Times:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked lawmakers to blow up the boxes of government, and on Wednesday they obliged—though not exactly as he envisioned.

A legislative budget committee delayed action on many of Schwarzenegger’s proposals for cutting waste, and instead took an ax to operations managed by the governor. They voted to get rid of entire departments and agencies under his authority.

Read More

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


Elsewhere: .

Comments

Are you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.

By Outraged, June 5 at 4:59 am #

I ponder…..is it fitting or iconic that, “while the Waste Management Board, stuffed with ex-lawmakers with six-figure salaries, would see its responsibilities enhanced.”,

Pause…pause….and pause…..........!  Someone, pinch me, did they say the WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD...?  I have a question, does the “WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD” include “cleaning up” after Cheney, his nincompoop daughter, GW, Schwarzenegger, Rummie, Addington, Yoo, Gonzales, Rice…. et al.?

Noxious gas is certainly permeating the “air”.....Woooooooo…..that’s raunchy.

Has anyone decided what the statues to commemorate these “ex-lawmakers” should exemplify….(excluding the pigeon poop)?

The “MAN” in charge of the great state of Californ-i-a…....

http://www.slumdance.com/blogs/brian_flemming/archives/000299.html

Report this

By Russian Paul, June 5 at 2:43 am #

Let me just add, regarding the California high-speed rail, most of the labor and materials will be OUTSOURCED.

Report this

By Russian Paul, June 5 at 2:40 am #

And yet we are still putting aside $9 billion on the impractical high-speed rail boondoggle (connecting Sacremento to San Diego.) For some reason criticism of this project is scarce, I don’t even think most Californians realize they voted for it.

An 800 mile behemoth that will end up costing over $50 billion.
Sound like a smart thing to do in this economy?

Report this

By socalcde, June 4 at 5:06 pm #

Jerry Brown is still here, so is his sister Kathleen.

Report this

By Big B, June 4 at 4:46 pm #

Nearly every state in the union is suffering the same budget pitfalls as is CA. We here in PA are all too familier with rising taxes, shrinking services, and collapsing infrastructure.(hell, I live right next to the OH and WV border, and those two states are in a downward spiral of fiscal doom) It’s a vicious circle when the federal gov cut taxes, it cuts aid to the states, in turn the states either have to raise taxes or cut services. These shortfalls are then passed on(or down) to the cities and counties, who have no choice, they do have to cut services because raising taxes is almost out of the question at the local level. They have already gone back to the well in nearly every school district and municipality too many times in the past 30 years to make up for budget shortfalls, and the public in many of these blighted areas here in western PA just doesn’t have any more to give. So our roads go unrepaired, our police are layed off, and much worse, our schools go underfunded and in disrepair. That has ultimatley been the worst side affect of the budget troubles of the states in these modern times, our children are made to suffer because of our mistakes. Most of them are dumber because of our shortcomings.

Report this

By Virginia777, June 4 at 4:28 pm #

A mission to “save” California??

they are destroying her.

Report this

By Mary Ann McNeely, June 4 at 3:04 pm #

Pat Brown, where are you now that we need you?

Report this

Add Your Comment

Posts by unregistered readers are moderated. Posts by members
are published immediately. Why wait? Register today!







Number of characters remaining: 4000

Notify you when others comment on this article?


Are you a human?
Retype the word you see here.


Please read and abide by our comment policy.
By submitting this comment, you agree to this site's terms and conditions.

 
 

 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
Copyright © 2009 Truthdig, L.L.C. All rights reserved.