For the next three days, Democrats are reportedly going to hold online town hall meetings about the state’s budget. Here are ten questions that I’m guessing would NOT make it past the screeners:
1. You’ve known that the state had a $19 billion deficit since back in January, why did you just get around to agreeing on a plan this month?
2. On March 5, right after being sworn in as Speaker of the House, Speaker Perez told the Los Angeles Times that he would be making “huge, devastating, difficult decisions” over the “next fifteen days” to close the state’s deficit. What were those decisions and why weren’t they enough?
3. On March 16, Senator Steinberg predicted that the state’s deficit would be under $10 billion come May. Why was he so wrong in that prediction, and why didn’t he have a Plan B?
4. Why is it that state spending on government employees’ compensation and benefits will be up almost $3 billion this year compared to last year?
5. Why is the state spending more this year on retirement benefits for government employees ($6.4 billion) than it spends on higher education ($5.8 billion)?
6. After the tax-hiking Proposition 1A failed at the ballot box in 2009, Senator Steinberg said “The voters have spoken and they are telling us that government should do the best it can with the money it has.” So why did he say last week, when trying to justify his plan to raise taxes on the middle class, “I don’t think voters rejected 1A because of the taxes.” ?
7. Why is General Fund spending on parks only 60% of what it was ten years ago, while General Fund spending on employee compensation and benefits is up 160%?
8. What is the total amount of retirement debt owed by the state to government employees [answer: $550 billon] and why didn’t I get to vote on that debt like I do on general obligation bonds?
9. How is the Legislature cutting its own expenses to respond to the state’s fiscal crisis?
10. A run-of-the-mill retired state worker gets a $3000 risk-free and inflation-protected monthly pension check. How much would a private citizen need in his or her 401k account to retire at age 55 and receive such a payment for the rest of his or her life? [Answer: $1 million]
August 24th, 2010 at 12:00 am
11. If reducing tax rates would both stimulate the economy and increase revenue to government over time, why are we not doing that?