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Californians conflicted on budget issues

November 21, 2010

Californians simultaneously object to increasing taxes in order to pare the state’s massive budget deficit and cutting spending on programs that make up 85 percent of the state’s general fund obligations, according to a new Los Angeles Times/USC Poll. [LATimes]

Californian’s belief that the state deficit – estimated last week at nearly $25 billion – can be balanced through trimming waste and inefficiencies rather than cutting programs. Even though tens of billions that have been cut from the state budget in recent years, just a quarter of California voters believed that services need to be cut in order to square the budget.

Voters have “a great bias toward spending cuts” rather than tax hikes, said Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg, who co-directed the poll for The Times and the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences to the Los Angeles Times. “But when you get into it, they don’t want to cut the areas that matter.”

Poll highlights:

One in four voters favored trimming elementary and high schools, which make up almost 42 percent of state general fund spending.

Just over one-third approved of cuts to state colleges and universities, or, separately, to state-financed health care for children or the poor.

More than 70 percent of voters favored chopping monies from the prison system.


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simultaneously, or unanimously?


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There is an entire sector of the budget that no one seems to address, Propositions. Californians have voted their way to BK. The reason we are now left with the tough calls in determining what to cut is because everything else is protected due to the fact that we voted it in. The only way to truly cut the budget is to vote out Propositions.


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#1 Quit bending over for the unions and the ridiculous benefits they incur upon us taxpayers.


#2 Quit educating and hospitalizing illegals.


#3 Kill the fat off of pet projects like the Air Resources Board


#4 End the ability of people like Julie Packard of MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) to fund restrictions on fishermen(MPA Programs) that the state has to pay to enforce. Right now the Dept. of Fish and Game can’t even wipe their own rear ends let alone supply staff for these unnecessary closures.


#5 Quit voting the liberal whackos into office.


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We have come to the fork in the road, either cut the spending or continue down the path of ruination we are now headed down, caused by this uncontrolled spending. And raising taxes or borrowing in order to spend more on what we can’t afford is insanity…

I would agree with standup, but this county is populated with a majority of folks who work for the feds, state, ASH, Mens colony or the universities. None of them will ever vote to cut their own bennies or elect someone who will do so.


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The only way the state/nation’s gonna make more money is to literally make more money. Another $600bn earlier this month. Yikes.


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We can no longer tax our way out of our deficit. We can’t come up with the money needed even if we double and triple state income tax and state sales tax. We will have to make cuts as well. Outsourcing prisoners is a great idea as long as it’s a savings to the state. Cutting illegals and out of staters from state services by having a one year residency requirement before getting aid is another good idea.


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All the smoke and mirrors in the world can’t change the reality of simple economics 101. If ya ain’t got it, ya cain’t spend it…


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One man’s waste is another’s essential program. The legislature needs to “man up” and “put their big girl panties on” and make the hard cuts. We’ll find out during the next election whether they did the right thing. If it isn’t done this year, it sure won’t be next year as we’ll be in another election cycle.


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“They” also need to “cut up the credit card,” “blow up the boxes,” etc, ad nauseum. Oh, already tried that, did they?


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