Senate The US Politics discussion

indeed! they have a pretty good handle on it as is.

 

Well, the point was addressed towards the reason's there's no strong left in this country, so it wasn't aimed at you personally. But honestly, speaking as someone on the left, I don't really want to see more reasonable candidates from the Republicans, I want to see them continue to field the absolute "no one in their right mind would vote for them" candidates, and I want them to keep doing that until their political power is completely broken.

 

California seems to be in much better shape...

California's budget deficit is gone after years of financial troubles, Governor Jerry Brown said on Thursday, proposing a plan that raises spending on education and healthcare, boosting total expenditures by 5 percent.

Brown vowed to push back at legislators eager to raise spending quickly, restoring the billions of dollars to social services and other state functions that were cut in lean years.

"I am determined to avoid the fiscal mess that the last few governors had to deal with," Brown told reporters as he introduced the budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year beginning in July.

The state expects $98.5 billion in revenues and transfers and plans spending $97.7 billion, according to the proposal published on the state Department of Finance website.

That leaves a surplus of $851 million for the year, in addition to a projected $785 million surplus for the current fiscal year, which ends in June, allowing the state to put $1 billion toward a rainy day fund.

Brown said he saw a balanced budget for the next four years.

Spending in the upcoming year is set to rise 5 percent, or $4.7 billion, from the current 2012-13 budget. Schools and universities will see a $4 billion boost, health care spending will rise $1.2 billion, while transfers to local government will drop $2.1 billion.

The 74-year-old Governor said he aimed to focus education spending on the neediest students and districts, such as kids in poor areas like Compton, California.

Brown, a Democrat with a national reputation as a liberal, plays up his penny pinching in California. He has repeatedly stressed the need for spending restraint, even amid signs the state economy is picking up.

California job growth tops the national average, unemployment has fallen below double-digit levels for the first time in nearly four years, and voters in November approved a tax increase that closed most of the lingering budget gap.
The state Department of Finance on Thursday projected unemployment will fall to 9.6 percent this year and 8.7 percent in 2014.

California faced deficits of $9 billion just a year ago and $25 billion two years ago. Brown noted that federal government issues could challenge California's forecasts and warned the state not to get over exuberant.

"It's very hard to say no. That's going to be my job," he said.

Signs of improvement in the state's economy have raised hopes among some liberals that cuts made to healthcare and welfare programs of the last few years can be rolled back.

Democrats won a supermajority in the state legislature in November's vote, giving them the power to raise taxes without Republican support.

Republican State Assembly Leader Connie Conway said she supported Brown's messages of fiscal restraint and support for education.​

 

what about their 400 billion dollar debt? is he going to try to chip away at that?

 

Surpluses are usually used to chip away at debt. Debt is just the accumulation of all previous deficits. States and other government usually have an essentially unlimited amount of time to pay back their debt. It only begins to hurt an economy when the interest that must be paid on the debt becomes substantial.

I understand that California may also enact Pension Reform, which could also put them on even stronger fiscal footing for the future.

 

i know what it is. i am wondering if he plans to try to pay down some of it while he is in a position to do so, beyond the monthly bill or whatever it is they have. kudos to addressing the pension problem, if they are in fact intending to do it.

 

Conservatives and lobbyists trying to block $50 million Sandy relief package

*ragequit*

 

I'm not sure, maybe someone who knows more about California politics can tell us.

Sadly, not surprising.



Did everyone hear about how Virginia's AG, Cuccinelli, is telling people to intentionally break the law and go to jail to defy ObamaCare? Funny thing is, convicts in Virginia lose the ability to vote for life. So maybe it will actually do us all a favor?

 

Oh, but you see he's trying to get the law changed so that convicts can regain the right to vote. Funny how that all works out.

Sadly that's really just the tip of the iceberg in regard to Cuccinelli. He railroaded the Va health boards who wanted to delay implementing stricter health regs on abortion clinics and shortly after he was elected AG, he wrote a note pretty much telling colleges and universities that it was AOK to discriminate against LGBT people. That's among many many things that will lead me to vote against him as Governor when November rolls around.

 

Voter ID Bill a priority in NC.

Colin Powell: GOP has 'identity problem' - You don't say.

Edit: Jenny Sanford says she won't run for Congress against her ex - husband.

 

Aww, that would have been awesome!

 

Yes it would have. I was very disappointed when I read the news.

 

what were The Lady Sanford's qualifications? other than being a republican homemaker?

ima move to virginia and break into politics lee atwater style with my groundbreaking cuccinelli campaign. the slogan? "The Cooch is on the Looch!"

its the next "Tippicanoe and Tyler Too". the next "Fired Up and Ready 2 Go!", mark my words

 

pretty sure voter suppression has been going on in these here parts since colonial times. hardly the beginning, honeychild

 

GOP opens path to Sandy bill.

 

Actually I think Christie can take on the Tea Party nuts without too much problem. The reason being that he's got that bold and unapologetic attitaude, unlike Mitt Romney who tried to bend over backward for the right-wing freak show. Remember the Tea Party doesn't have an agenda, it's just a mass emotional rant against "liberals". All Christie has to do is say "I'm a conservative, I'm a Republican, and I'm proud of it!" and nobody will notice if his policies are really quite similar to Democrats'.

 

Efforts to get voting rights restored for felons fail in Va Assembly subcommittee.

Since it was brought up several posts ago, I figured I'd give an update.

 

anyone?

 

Well what political qualifications to most people have before running for political office?

 

yeah its all pretty still but, well, dont you usually sort of work your way up from state and local politics or at least have some kind of "business experience" (tho obv that's nonsense) or at least a PhD in something relevent?

is her only qualification for a hypothetical run literally "the guy im running against cheated on me"? seems a bit tabloid, even for the US

 

Many Tea Party members in congress didn't. One of my Senators was a Car Salesman (actually given the state of congress, that profession might be apropos...)

 

yeah you know you're right. america is just unmitigated ****, isnt it? sorry i forgot that momentarily. probably a misogynist impulse on my part

 

Everybody has to start somewhere.

Elizabeth Warren's first election was the Senate race, she never held elected office before.

Hillary Clinton's first election was her Senate race.

Just two other examples off the top of my head. Jenny Sanford was said to be very politically gifted, and dealing with many of the administrative functions of the Governor's office before the big scandal.