Is your state going broke?

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 12:57 am

Broke? No, I heard last night that Iowa has like a $950 million surplus. The state pension fund is solvent but will have to be slightly tweaked to compensate for all of the upcoming retiring baby boomers. Not a big deal.

Sirfindafold · Post by **Sirfindafold** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 12:59 am

CA is, mentally and financially.

Bizzarofelice · Post by **Bizzarofelice** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:02 am

don't think so.

st louis city is having issues. firemen are getting shitcanned, fire stations are closing and positons are being left open. pensions killing the po-po and city departments. revenue shortfalls due to tax breaks and shitty property taxes.

governments, like any company, get bloated with employees during times of prosperity. now those employees are being brought back to earth. problem is these people don't make much to begin with. expenses are being strangled, but not in the right places. clerks are being hung out to dry while city reps maintain their perks.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:12 am

Oregon isn't "going broke" -- it passed up "broke" some time ago.

And no entity on the planet will even loan them money, the credit is no good.

The public unions bought up certain candidates over the years (all with "D" after their name), and got paid off for their effort, big time. Most state jobs pay well above average, the the bennies are sick, and fuckers get a raise when they retire... sweet gig for those who worked it. Sad part is, the unions seem to enrich themselves at the expense of the PERS Serfs -- the teachers.

Somewhere along the way, the state retirement system went terribly wrong, and all of a sudden took an exponential jump, right when our stupid ass tax structure took a shit.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:33 am

After saying that Iowa is not broke, I should clarify that, even though there is a decent surplus, all is not well and good either. Projections are that there will be about a $700 million shorfall in the next budget and cuts will obviously have to be made. We have a newly elected former Governor heading back to the Governor's mansion who, if his history is any indication of things to come, will not be afraid to slash the budget with a meat cleaver to balance the budget.

mvscal · Post by **mvscal** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:34 am

Going broke? No.

Derron · Post by **Derron** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:04 am

Dinsdale wrote:Oregon isn't "going broke" -- it passed up "broke" some time ago.

The shit is going to hit the fan about July 2 or so. Not just the state governments are going broke, but every school district, and other tax agency is pretty well fucked too. Greedy fucking unions and their benefits packages are doing their own agencies in, and the agency bosses are too fucking stupid to do anything about it, and are just going to ride that bitch to the flaming end.

There will be entire school districts close and fold up in Oregon in 2011. City development planners and directors are just now getting laid off in Gresham, funny how private business's were doing that shit 2 and 3 years ago.

Too bad people have to lose their jobs, but as usual, a government does not produce anything,and is supported by those who do produce something , and when they do not produce, government folds for lack of incoming taxes. It all can not happen too soon for me. Get some fiscal sense back in government. Wait until the 2011-2012 budgeting starts in about 3 weeks. The unions, the government pussy bleeding is going to be unreal in volume and loudness.

Take that shit you liberal government honks.

poptart · Post by **poptart** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:17 am

mvscal wrote:Going broke? No.

haha

Exactly.

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:20 am

The District isn't a state but it is definitely facing a budget shortfall of $440 million. Shit is getting slashed across the board, including welfare and social services.

mvscal · Post by **mvscal** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:38 am

Screw_Michigan wrote:Shit is getting slashed across the board, including welfare and social services.

Shouldn't that be the first thing to get slashed?

Screw_Michigan · Post by **Screw_Michigan** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:39 am

Well it was the first to get cut. But they did extend rent control another decade, I was happy with that.

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:13 am

campinfool · Post by **campinfool** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:24 am

I wanted to brag about how life is good in Austin, but we really don't want any more of you sons of bitches moving here to follow some dream of a better life.

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:29 am

Too damn bad if you aren't rich, marty.

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:37 am

trev wrote:Too damn bad if you aren't rich, marty.

Think about what you just typed.

Think.

The Seer · Post by **The Seer** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:49 am

campinfool wrote:I wanted to brag about how life is good in Austin, but we really don't want any more of you sons of bitches moving here to follow some dream of a better life.

VERY high on our list....maybe 12-18 months....prepare....

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:50 am

No Marty. I'm not rich. But I get tired of people thinking they are entitled to what someone else EARNS.

R-Jack · Post by **R-Jack** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:08 am

trev wrote:But I get tired of people thinking they are entitled to what someone else EARNS.

Did a housewife really just type that?

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:09 am

trev wrote:But I get tired of people thinking they are entitled to what someone else EARNS.

Agreed.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:12 am

R-Jack wrote:
trev wrote:But I get tired of people thinking they are entitled to what someone else EARNS.
Did a housewife really just type that?

Somebody thinks they're entitled to a backhand across the grill and a dick shoved in their mouth?

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:16 am

R-Jack wrote:
trev wrote:But I get tired of people thinking they are entitled to what someone else EARNS.
Did a housewife really just type that?

Don't de-value your own wife and children. It's very ... ugly of you.

R-Jack · Post by **R-Jack** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:19 am

My wife works.

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:21 am

R-Jack wrote:My wife works.

I raised my own kids and now I work also.

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:22 am

I fear trev will be spending Christmas Eve locked in the bathroom, mistakenly dialing 912 over and over again, while her drunken husband goes on a furniture smashing spree.

Canada is here for you, babe. We've always been here for you.

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:26 am

I'd don't like 3rd world countries much, but thanks anyway.

Shlomart Ben Yisrael · Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:31 am

trev, could you do me a little favour? Could you unhook your bra?

You don't have to send me pics or anything if you don't want to...I just want to know you did.

tia

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:48 am

no. keeping the girls tight for a few more hours.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:52 am

Martyred wrote:I fear trev will be spending Christmas Eve locked in the bathroom, mistakenly dialing 912 over and over again, while her drunken husband goes on a furniture smashing spree.

Canada is here for you, babe. We've always been here for you.

You've already got Katy and Otis. What more could you want?

mvscal · Post by **mvscal** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:43 am

Martyred wrote:trev, could you do me a little favour? Could you unhook your bra?

You don't have to send me pics or anything if you don't want to...I just want to know you did.

tia

Fuck YOU, you sonofabitch. I will fucking KILL YOU!!

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:46 am

Don't kill him. Just slam him into a wall, will ya?

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:03 pm

AFSCME Union negotiated the contract with our outgoing Governor and agreed to a 2% raise in July and an additional 1% next January. The incoming Republican Governor has already announced that he wants to reopen the contract and basically freeze wages. I seriously doubt that the union members are going to agree to reopen the contract, at least initially, and it will be interesting to see how deep the new Gov will cut the budget to stick it in their ass, as he had a history of doing just that when he served as Governor in the 80's. It has the makings for a good fight and I'm anxious to see who flinches first.

Derron · Post by **Derron** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:27 pm

KC Scott wrote:

As for Federal and State spending - you're going to see more states having to do what Christie did in NJ - canceling projects and making the state worker unions negotiate with regard to pensions / healthcare. Or as he put it, the benefits will be gone entirely.

of course this is what our retread governor is going to do..negotiate with the unions for these concessions...,
And the unions will continue their usual go fuck yourself stand that they have forever. Only this time, they will just cut positions in the union, and the union bosses ( at the top of the leach food chain) will just continue to cut the lower end workers until the money is all gone, they will say we can't provide services anymore, give us more money.

The difference is this time, the end is near for the union and government bosses. You can bet they have it figured out how long they can go on with the same old shit, and then make changes when their gravy train is threatened.

Wolfman · Post by **Wolfman** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:32 pm

I see where the states that are growing in population and economy are ones w/o a state income tax. Florida is in pretty good shape. Incoming Governor Scott has some good ideas for cutting the size of the bureaucracy in Tallahassee and keeping state spending under control, the main reason myself and a majority voted for him.

Derron · Post by **Derron** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:35 pm

Mace wrote:AFSCME Union negotiated the contract with our outgoing Governor and agreed to a 2% raise in July and an additional 1% next January. The incoming Republican Governor has already announced that he wants to reopen the contract and basically freeze wages. I seriously doubt that the union members are going to agree to reopen the contract,

So the Governor gives them the raises in reward for voting his ass in 4 years ago. With national and regional unemployment at all time high's this kind of shit goes on. Unreal.

In our " new " economy, government workers are really a privileged class. No basis or ties to reality for compensation. Just pay the unions and we will get it for you, as long as you vote this way.

And these unions are a good thing ?

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:07 pm

The union is going to take it in the shorts. If the union won't reopen the contract and renew negotiations, he will force massive layoffs by slashing their budgets. He'll win, one way or another. The union backed the democrat incumbent and will now pay the price.

I'm no longer a state employee, so this has no direct effect on me, and I was never a member of the union. There were a number of years that I voiced my opinion that we needed to freeze salaries and save jobs, only for the union honks to start throwing out the "scab" word at me. Naturally, I had to then call one of them an ignorant fucking cunt.....and things deteriorated from there. :)

Atomic Punk · Post by **Atomic Punk** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:46 pm

Mace wrote:We have a newly elected former Governor heading back to the Governor's mansion who, if his history is any indication of things to come, will not be afraid to slash the budget with a meat cleaver to balance the budget.

- Friends of Jerry Brown (D-CA)

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 8:41 pm

KC Scott wrote:100% in favor of a flat personnal tax - getting rid of all deductions with the exceptions of dependents, education, charity and home ownership (basically trying to drive certain behaviors in the populace)

So, you're really no different than the libtard.

Government needs to stop "driving". It fukking sucks at it and it is why DC is over run with driving instructors, aka lobbyists.

There should be ZERO deductions.

You wanna have a big $$$$$ house and mortgage the shit out of it? God bless you, but why the fukk must I subsidize this decision. Same goes with edumacashun. You wanna go to school? Fine. Don't ask the guy who choses not to to pay for it. Then you can go out and buy a bunch of new energy efficient windows and get that subsidized too? Fukk off. How 'bout the guy living within his means in a 1200 sq ft old ranch with drafty windows and a 700 dollar a month mortgage? He's gets nothing for being "green", even though he's greener than the shlep with a 5000sq ft pad and 20K spent in new windows. But it's that later guy who gets paid to buy more house (not very green) and replace a bunch of windows (maybe green). It's all one contradictory clusterfukk.

Deductions, IMO is stealing. It is getting out of paying your fair share because you followed a behavior that some lobbyist pushed through.

STOP STEALING!!!!!

There should be a flat tax rate. I would even be OK with a bit of progression in the rate, so long as no one paid over 25%.

There should be NO corporate taxes. Corps are owned by people. If those people make money through corp earings, let it be taxed like all other earned income.

This would put countless lawyers and CPAs out of bidness. That's OK. Let them find productive work. Energy spent shuffling pieces of the pie around doesn't make the pie bigger. It is a huge waste.

trev · Post by **trev** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:08 pm

Get rid of welfare for a year or until the state is no longer in debt.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:20 pm

trev wrote:Get rid of welfare for a year or until the state is no longer in debt.

I have always been in favor of getting rid of welfare. Provided we start with nuking business welfare and work our way down to the truly needy.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:24 pm

Welfare for the poor is a very small percentage of the budget and the only thing you would accomplish by eliminating it is to create a lot of hungry and homeless people.