In the Golden Pen column today, our own Mike Der Manouel, Jr., lays out some sobering numbers about how state government spending is increasing at a pace vastly exceeding the growth of California’s population. Here is an excerpt from Mike’s piece:
According to the Legislative Analyst, 10 years ago, the budget presented by Gov. Pete Wilson proposed the following spending: general fund, $50.3 billion; special funds, $14.3 billion; total, $64.6 billion; reserves, $553 million.
Ten years later, the 2007-08 budget proposes: general fund, $103.1 billion; special funds, $27.7 billion; total, $131 billion.
The increase in state spending over 10 years? A whopping 202%. During this same 10-year period, according to the Census Bureau and California’s Department of Finance, the state’s population increased from 32.9 million to 37.1 million, or 13%.
So in one decade, state spending has increased by a massive 202%??? That is ridiculous, and should be a clarion call for an overhaul of the California tax system, reducing rates so that Californians can retain more of their income and funds to spend on their own priorities, as opposed to the priorities of the liberal Democrat in control of our state’s finances.
Of course, compounding this tragedy of state government growth is the tens of billions of dollars in bonded indebtedness that has been thrown at this generation of Californians, and the next. Yes, our children will be paying for the borrowing of today.
When you combine the bloated state income stream with the maxed-out state bond "credit card" — you have to wonder at the hubris of state politicians who will not cut even a small fraction of spending from the budget, and once again want to hurl more bond debt our way.
If we pass a budget that doesn’t start to curtain spending, and if we put more bonds on the ballot — well, the GOP need only look in the mirror — as budgets and bonds all require a 2/3 vote of the legislature (well, except for the scandal of ‘lease revenue bonds’ which allow politicians to indebt Californians without a vote of the people).
**There is more – click the link**
July 17th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Do you really think all the “California public school educated sheep” and illegal aliens in California care about anything but a free lunch from government.
I say charge sales tax on FOOD. Now…that will get some attention to the nightmare budgets in California by committed socialists.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Our screw-up Republican Congress is a perfect illustration of what happens when Republicans can not restrain spending. Hopefully that example is in the front of our CA state Republicans’ mind when it comes time to vote for the Democrat’s tax and spend budget.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:00 am
If spending increased from $64.6 billion to $131 billion, then it increased by 102.79% in just ten years. You and Mike Der Manouel both said that state spending has increased by a massive 202%. This is factually and mathematically incorrect. I realize what you were trying to say: $131 billion is 203% of $64.6 billion. But spending increased by $66.4 billion, NOT $131 billion. $131 billion is the total, not the amount of the increase.
I mention this because the actual 102.79% increase is so outrageous and so totally impossible to justify that there is no purpose in exaggerating it at all.