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2010-01-03 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by Fred 2010-01-03 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11132 views ] Top

#1 It is a shame that the majority can't figure out that they need to compromise to accomplish things. That is what the voters wanted.

Posted by rammer 2010-01-03 01:07|| 2010-01-03 01:07|| Front Page Top

#2 Problem is - only the Republicans have been compromising - and compromising some central, basic, Conservative ideals (smaller goverment, fiscal responsiblity, etc...). And compromising entirely too much - McCain and the second term of Bush are two prime examples.

Posted by CrazyFool 2010-01-03 01:28|| 2010-01-03 01:28|| Front Page Top

#3 Yep, that is exactly my point. The VOTERS gave the minority the power to DEMAND changes to the budget. That should be respected by the majority, but unfortunately, it has not been. Thus all the wringing of hands about how the Golden State is ungovernable. Ney, I say. Simply respect the minority and govern with a two thirds coalition.

Posted by rammer 2010-01-03 01:44|| 2010-01-03 01:44|| Front Page Top

#4 This is a long time coming. It started with the new deal and was pushed along by the great society. pharma benefits added to it. medicare is out of cash in 7 years. If healthcare goes through, it will collapse earlier because the reimbursements cuts will cut facilities just like the Mayo clinic announced it is not taking any more medicare patients at one of its clinics on Friday. There is no compromise to what is coming. Entitlements have to be slashed and the sooner the better. The longer it is left the worse it gets. Just as the longer the money creation goes on to prop up the lower end housing via Fannie/Freddie/FHA the worse it will be when the Fed withdraws supports and real interest rates apply. It took nearly 80 years to get to this. Its not going away in a week. The question is whether the American people have the character to do what needs to be done, or whether it will be left to the bond market and the currency market to deal with the hyper inflation which will arise if these issues are not addressed sooner rather than later. We are about to witness generational warfare.

Posted by Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 2010-01-03 01:52|| 2010-01-03 01:52|| Front Page Top

#5 In the short term, unemployment is likely to remain high and the economy is likely to remain weak unless Congress can muster another round of serious stimulus spending.

The Prosecution rests.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2010-01-03 02:05|| 2010-01-03 02:05|| Front Page Top

#6 #4 This is a long time coming. It started with the new deal and was pushed along by the great society. pharma benefits added to it.

I remember many of the old timers [now gone] predicting this, those who had experienced FDR and the "New Deal." Something along the lines of "when will it all end" is a statement I recall hearing frequently.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-01-03 07:07|| 2010-01-03 07:07|| Front Page Top

#7 There are two problems here:

1) Most all politicians of every strip personally gain from obscene levels of spending.

2) It is ONLY the big spenders that have to compromise. The problem we have here is that of a victim faced by a thief who steals $1000. Is it a compromise if the thief gives back $500?

There is NO movement among fiscal conservatives to totally defund the gov't. So they are locked into spending. There is NO movement among fiscal libertines to spend less than they want. Therefore, the conservatives have no leverage and no platform to try and get a message out.

Posted by AlanC 2010-01-03 08:12|| 2010-01-03 08:12|| Front Page Top

#8 The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. Margaret Thatcher

Trouble is that California isn't out of other peoples money yet. Expect a big bailout by the Obama administration. California will gladly pick your pockets to continue to pay for their excesses.

Posted by DMFD 2010-01-03 09:47|| 2010-01-03 09:47|| Front Page Top

#9 Under Barry, the other "56 States" could be on daily rations of bread and water and they would STILL be paying tribute to California. There are far too many Democrats there to let it fail.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-01-03 11:14|| 2010-01-03 11:14|| Front Page Top

#10 The addiction facing AMerica is the excessive use of credit in every aspect of personal and collective fiscal decisions. People generally have lived better lives than their incomes would allow through the use of deferred or borrowed payments. In the near term this use of credit sparked in the equities and realty markets inflationary spirals that fed the false expansion of perceived value. The tech bubble colapse, the housing bubble collapse, and now the looming bond bubble collapse all reflect the cost coming due. California is hoping to ppostpone the pain by getting the federal government and Odumbo/Pelooney/Reidiculous to front even more printed paper.
Folks, we are in way too far to avoid a really crappy decade ahead, but the more they postpone, the uglier the endstate gets. I'm bailing out of CA sadly to avoid the more imminent mess, but the entire nation is slipping into insolvency due to debt. We are headed for 2nd world status unless there is a huge change in Washington.

Posted by NoMoreBS 2010-01-03 11:22|| 2010-01-03 11:22|| Front Page Top

#11 and you'll discover that most state services don't actually serve.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2010-01-03 12:09|| 2010-01-03 12:09|| Front Page Top

#12 Oh, California will get their bailout. Then in the 3rd quarter when it has run out of money and comes asking again, the feds won't have any since the Chinese won't pay up again and the only option is bankruptcy or printing more dough.

Then, shit will really fall apart as the feds are bankrupt and hyper deflation kicks in.

Posted by DarthVader 2010-01-03 12:30|| 2010-01-03 12:30|| Front Page Top

#13 Just BAN / REVOKE: Unionization by anyone whose salary is paid by the taxpayer: Defined benefit pensions that are sweeter than anyone in the private sector can get; Politician to lobbyist progression. Then privatize EVERYTHING except courts and police...

Posted by M. Murcek 2010-01-03 12:34|| 2010-01-03 12:34|| Front Page Top

#14 The big problem in California is the pension plans for state workers. A cop or fireman commonly work overtime their last couple of years and cash out their vacation so that when the amount of pension they get for retirement is determined they get the max among. Gaming the system. It ensures most cops and firemen retire with benefits greater than the vast, vast majority of Americans. I have nothing against police or firemen, and you'd almost be a moron to not work the system that was set up, but this has been going on for years and the politicians have done zero to fix the problem since they want the union votes.

Posted by rjschwarz 2010-01-03 12:44|| 2010-01-03 12:44|| Front Page Top

#15 We are headed for 2nd world status unless there is a huge change in Washington.

We're already there.

A decade of zero job growth (net government gains, private sector shrinkage), a real unemployment rate in the range of 15-20%, crushing tax & regulatory burdens at all levels of government that stymie economic growth, etc. are clear signs of that.

We've already become a banana republic whose political masters have pressed the peasantry into the service of a few monied interests. And legally mandated spending on third rail entitlements (along wiwith a host of other public sector stupidity) guarantees a currency collapse as running the printing presses has become the government's favored tactic to deal with poor Treasury auction participation.

Politicians have little inclination to fix these problems and enough of the sheeple are succeptible to sound bite politics & the whims of the media to guarantee that no serious discussion, let alone action, can occur.

Posted by AzCat 2010-01-03 12:53|| 2010-01-03 12:53|| Front Page Top

#16 Only in the sense of a bull "servicing" a cow.

Posted by Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 2010-01-03 12:57|| 2010-01-03 12:57|| Front Page Top

#17 The big problem in California is the pension plans for state workers.

And the numerous commissions (great place to park former legislators, political hacks, etc.), the on-job benefits (like a car) given legislators, state employees (two pairs of eyeglasses per year for example) and those in the state education system, the heavy emphasis on regulations and (especially) regulatory enforcement...

Posted by Pappy 2010-01-03 13:31|| 2010-01-03 13:31|| Front Page Top

#18 The problem in Caliphornia is an excess of democracy.

Our founders constructed mixed government with a balance of democracy, oligarchy and monarchy. For the last 225 years we have eroded the oligarchical and monarchical powers to increase the democratic powers. As a result we have a class of irresponsible professional legislators who will do whatever is necessary (read bribe the voters) to be reelected. Until this is changed, deterioration will continue until the man on the white horse rides in.

And it started with the first Roosevelt, not the second.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2010-01-03 14:14|| 2010-01-03 14:14|| Front Page Top

#19 ALl you guys missed it - the perfect tip as to the bias in the article:

long-term deficit problem, which is driven largely by health-care costs

WRONG!

Its cause by massive government spending in excess of tax revenues.

The write of this is full of it, misdirecting and constantly trying to cast blame away from where it belongs: the lack of fiscal restraint by Democrats (and their union buddies) in structuring state and federal spending to rachet up, but never down.

Its the gold-plated union retirements, benefits, contracts and political payoffs that are sinking California. Its the pork spending and political cronyism payoffs via budget (Yeah you Murtha) that's killing the federal budget.

The most recent example is the "health" bill: it "saves" 368 billion from medicate by putting in 118 billion in NEW TAXES and 250 billion in medicare payment/service CUTS (and dumps many of them on the states, mandated but unfunded).

But here's the fun part: It then turns around and "borrows" from the "savings" onthe Medicare books - which are NOT partof the budget when it comes to accounting -- in Congress crooked accounting borowing form medicare and social security doesnt count the same as treasury debt.

They leave an IOU in medicare for over 250 billion to pay for pet projects. this is an IUO that isnt accounted for, its "off the budget".

Its that "off budget" crap that is killing the government. If a business were to keep books like that they'd be arrested for fraud.

Put the Government on GAAP based accounting, and see the TRUE deficits. They are staggering.

And THAT is the problem, not this red herring of "healthcare spending".

Posted by OldSpook 2010-01-03 14:48|| 2010-01-03 14:48|| Front Page Top

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