Investigation-Budget and FinanceDo tax hikes fix budgets?Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 JULY 21, 2010 By JOHN SEILER The U.S. and California economies continue to struggle to push up from the Great Recession. Even as revenues at all levels of government have been hit hard, businesses and citizens complain that, even if they have jobs, they’re finding it hard to make ends me... Mulling a majority-vote budgetTuesday, July 6th, 2010 JULY 6, 2010 By JOHN SEILER With yet another state budget not passed by the July 1 beginning of the fiscal year, Democrats and their union allies are putting the blame on California's two-thirds supermajority rule for passing a budget in the Legislature. As commonly happens in recent years... Another economic dip coming?Monday, June 21st, 2010 JUNE 21, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Here’s something Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown should be debating. As the California budget is haggled over by the governor, Legislature and the powerful government unions, one thing everyone assumes is that the California economy will gradually improve. Tha... CA budget tops sensible limitsThursday, May 27th, 2010 MAY 27, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Budget time. So I thought I would revisit an analytical tool I devised a few years ago to help better understand the California state budget. Back in the early 2000s, I was pouring over state government budget documents and noticed something peculiar: wheneve... Cal Jobs Gap widens in 2010Monday, May 24th, 2010 MAY 24, 2010 By JOHN SEILER Instead of bashing one another for past liberal postures, Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner should be talking about the California Jobs Gap. Jerry Brown should be, too. There’s no more important issue today, especially with the primary election now just two weeks a... Doomed pension reformWednesday, May 12th, 2010 MAY 12, 2010 By STEVEN GREENHUT “One cannot be both a progressive and be opposed to pension reform,” argued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s top pension advisor, David Crane, during a pension-reform hearing on Monday. “The math is irrefutable that the losers from excessive and unfunded... Greenlining Series: Born in civil rights eraWednesday, April 14th, 2010 This is the second part in a series of articles about the radical Greenlining Institute produced by CalWatchdog and the Examiner. APRIL 14, 2010 By TORI RICHARDS and MARK TAPSCOTT It’s often said that even the best of intentions can go awry and that may well be an apt description of t... Pensions push state to insolvencyTuesday, February 23rd, 2010 FEB. 23, 2010 By TROY ANDERSON As the $17 billion annual taxpayer tab for government employees’ pensions and retiree health care increases at a rate of “several billion dollars” a year, Orange County Supervisor John Moorlach says California is heading for an “economic meltdow... California Jobs Gap GrowsFriday, January 22nd, 2010 Jan. 25, 2010 By JOHN SEILER In an earlier article I introduced a new measure of economic vitality: the Jobs Gap. It measures the difference between unemployment in California and the rest of the country. It thus factors out the national economic climate, which is affected mainly by polici... CalPERS blames rating agenciesThursday, January 21st, 2010 Jan. 21, 2010 By TROY ANDERSON In recent congressional hearings, inaccurate credit ratings were described as a major contributing factor in bringing the nation to the “brink of financial collapse.” In September, California Attorney General Jerry Brown opened an investigation into th... |