Thread: California Budget Balancer Interactive Map from LA Times

Sunday, January 09, 2011 5:32 PM

California Budget Balancer Interactive Map from LA Times Misses the Mark

I just took the interactive LA Times California Budget Balancer exercise. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/budget/

I violently protest.

This was a blatant effort to force people into accepting a need to raise taxes. To balance the budget I made every possible program cut offered. It was not enough. To balance the budget I had to raise sin taxes and gas taxes.

There are worse solutions of course, like hiking income taxes or corporate income taxes.

Exercise Misses the Mark

* Where was a proposal to privatize the prison system using non-union labor?
* Where was the proposal to eliminate prevailing wage laws?
* Where was the proposal to eliminate defined benefit plans for all government workers?
* Where was the proposal to virtually privatize every conceivable government job to the private sector?
* What about programs that could be eliminated entirely?

California Agencies

Look at this disgusting list of California Agencies. http://www.ca.gov/CaSearch/Agencies.aspx

I sorted out some but not all of the more ridiculous ones.

Does the state need a ....

* Acupuncture Department
* Office of AIDs
* Air Research Board
* 3 different agencies for alcohol and beverages
* 2 Apprenticeship Councils
* Art Council
* Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus
* Bureau of Automotive repair
* Barbering board
* Biodiversity council
* Calvet Loan program
* Climate Change Portal
* Coastal Commission
* Cool California
* 4 Delta agencies
* Digital Library
* Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair
* Employment Training Panel
* Energy Commission
* Equalization Board
* 2 Fair Employment agencies
* Film Commission
* Flex Your Power
* Healthy Family Program
* Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau
* Home Furnishings Bureau
* Humanities Council
* Independent Living Council
* Indoor Air Quality Program
* Economic Development Bank
* Interagency Ecological Program
* Labor and Workforce Development
* Latino Legislative Caucus
* Learn California
* Little Hoover Commission
* Maritime Academy
* Managed Risk Board
* Museum for History
* MyCali Youth Portal
* Native Heritage Association
* Natural Community Planning Program
* Naturopathic Medicine Community
* Outreach
* Peace Officer Standards Board
* Postsecondary Education Commission
* Prison Industry Authority
* Privacy Protection Office
* Psychology Board
* Railroad Museum
* Recovery Task Force
* Refugee Branch
* Regents of the U of C
* Save Our Water commission
* Smart Growth Caucus
* Status of Women Commission
* Take Charge California
* We Connect
* Wetlands Information System
* Workforce Investment Board

California does not need ANY of those. Moreover I assure you I missed dozens more that could be cut back if not eliminated entirely. What the heck do those cost? And how much can be saved by my suggestions above.

I propose the LA Times re-do their preposterous exercise meant to convey the idea that taxes have to be raised. They don't. In fact, I bet they could be lowered.

Here is the LA Times Discussion Thread on California Budget Balancer http://discussions.latimes.com/20/lanew ... discuss/10

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot. ... ctive.html

Suggestion....send this list to the new Gov...... can't hurt!!!!!