California to Fall into Ocean of Red

[tricky lugnuts]

I remember hearing how California was going to break off into the sea because of plate tectonics. Looks like it might be destroyed long before then by Californians themselves, at least according to Arnold the Governator:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703447004575449813071709510.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The gist of it is, by 2010 California is projected to be spending $30 billion a year on public pension costs. Ouch.

[PocketThunder]

Well said!  Hopefully the state can wake up and put some reform in the budget but we all know that would take... well.... .and act of congress.

[JoeyGowdy]

They also discussed splitting the state into three partitions:

North Cali, Central Cali, South Cali.

What ever happened to that?

[Vainglory, Esq.]

You think your state is broke now, wait until the public sector pension bomb explodes.  It's coming.

[Old Moparz]

Why not trade it to Mexico for all those cool cars they have south of the border so the west coast will stop grumbling over having none. 

[Ponch ®]

They also discussed splitting the state into three partitions:

North Cali, Central Cali, South Cali.

What ever happened to that?

its already been done by the gangs.

[Mike DC]

I could see North & South Cali.  3 states is a little much. 

Personally I think we'd be much better off going the other direction.  Combine a bunch of the states into a few larger ones, more like the division sizes in Canada.

[Ponch ®]

I could see North & South Cali.  3 states is a little much.  

Personally I think we'd be much better off going the other direction.  Combine a bunch of the states into a few larger ones, more like the division sizes in Canada.

sounds like a premise for a sci fi dystopian novel...

Nah, we don't need to split the state or combine with others. Cali might be horrible at managing its finances, but it's still the world's 8th largest economy on it's own and has a GDP that is higher than Canada and accounts for something like 15% of the US's GDP (that's why I'm always amused when some indignant Mid-Westerner says "I hope it falls off into the Ocean...we'd be better off without them"). Don't need to mess with that or to get dragged down by joining other states.

[Brock Samson]

splitting Calif into north and south has been proposed many times but the votes are mostly all in southern Calif and they want the state to remain as is mostly cause the majority of water comes from up north via the Calif. Aquaduct, that's what allows those big populations below Big Sur otherwise the place would be a desert, even the native peoples were all concentrated well to the north, I've traveled between San Francisco and L.A. and even further south many times and once your south of Big Sur - either on the coast Highway 1 or inland on Highway 5 you can really feel a change in the terrain and atmosphere as it gets really desolate. It's like driving into Mordor...  

[ITSA426]

Is this a political thread about paying pensions to working people, or a historical lesson on spending by California's high rolling politicians?  Or is it a geography lesson?  I think all of them are great topics but maybe not for here. 

I enjoy every visit out there but I can't imagine the cost of living there.  It's a great state.

My sister in law pays $24,000, yearly, in property taxes on a nice 2200 square foot 3 BR, 3 bath, rambler on a city lot, so there must be money out there someplace.  They just have to figure out how to make it work.

[Ponch ®]

Is this a political thread about paying pensions to working people, or a historical lesson on spending by California's high rolling politicians?  Or is it a geography lesson?  I think all of them are great topics but maybe not for here.  

A little of everything. California's legislature can't get anything done besides gerrymandering and spending aimlessly. As far as the pensions to working people - no one really argues that they should have something, but we need to look at the current system. Another common problem - not just in CA - is that state/public employees tend to get paid a lot more (salaries, benefits, etc) than people in the private sector who have a similar occupation, and there really isn't any good reason why.

I enjoy every visit out there but I can't imagine the cost of living there.  It's a great state.

My sister in law pays $24,000, yearly, in property taxes on a nice 2200 square foot 3 BR, 3 bath, rambler on a city lot, so there must be money out there someplace.  They just have to figure out how to make it work.

$24,000 seems kinda high...unless her house is super expensive. The whole cost of living in California deal has always been over exaggerated and fails to take into account other factors, that while they may appear small or insignificant, add up. For example, in the next couple of months we'll start seeing lots of threads discussing cheap ways to heat your home.  Well, here in CA we don't need to heat our homes during the winter (at least not to the extent that people in the Midwest and NE have to). So when you look at little things like that, once you add them up you realize that while the "up front" cost to live in CA is higher than in say...Nebraska, in the long run its only slightly higher or even a wash.

[ITSA426]

Another common problem - not just in CA - is that state/public employees tend to get paid a lot more (salaries, benefits, etc) than people in the private sector who have a similar occupation, and there really isn't any good reason why.

The problem there is that most other workers wages have not kept pace with inflation as union jobs decrease.  As union jobs decreased pensions were among the first benefit to vanish.  The most effective labor organizing is now in government jobs.  Government workers used to trade wages for security but that shifted drastically after PATCO.


$24,000 seems kinda high...unless her house is super expensive.

Los Altos, on a busy street, small lot but very expensive area.  Her neighbor, who has lived there much longer, pays about one fifth in taxes for a comparable house.  Sister in law says it's an effect of prop 13, I believe.  Sis is a relative new comer relocating for a job in silicone valley about five years ago.

[RallyeMike]

That was a well written article.

California is truly a unique State. I love it every time I go there, but it's about the last place I would ever move to.