Just the title of this tirade is a contradiction of terms.  In 2002, California was in a multi-bazillion dollar budget crunch.  Then-Governor Joseph Graham (Grey) Davis was adamant in his re-election campaign that the problem could be solved without financial consequence to the average taxpayer.  In other words, he would pull a rabbit out of his hat and make the deficit go away without raising taxes or cutting programs.

 

     Although the average Californian was dumb enough to believe that (they re-elected Davis), you and I know that there isn't a hat, much less a rabbit.  After Davis was sworn in in January 2003, he quickly raised the subject of taxes to pay off the deficit.  Shortly thereafter the voters overwhelmingly recalled and replaced him with our own beloved Arnold the Terminator.  Arnold promptly called all the commie pinko liberals in the state legislature "girlie-men" and proceeded to do whatever they wanted.

 

     Now understand, nothing was ever done about the multi-bazillion dollar deficit.  So now, five years later, it's a multi-Gazillion dollar deficit.  The last I heard we were looking at $41,000,000,000!!  Personally, I think that's a hell of a lot of zeros.  Arnold has agreed with the legislature on a bill containing a package of tax increases, fees and program cuts.  Problem - California is a super-majority state.  The legislature needs a 2/3 majority (read 3 Republicans) in both Houses to enact their program.

 

     FINALLY the Republicans have grown some cojones.  Only one Republican State Senator has gone along with the plan (he helped draft it) and as a reward for his effort has been thrown out of his Senate leadership position and his butt kicked back to Fresno. 

 

     I'm not naive enough to think this will do anything but delay the inevitable, but it's nice to see a reaction to such things as a 2.5% fee to insure the privilege of filing my tax return, a 12 cent gas tax increase and a half point sales tax increase (do I hear bids on a full point?).  It's going to happen; the taxpayers are going to be raped again, and they're going to have to pay for their own Vaseline.

 

     The point?  My question for today is:  In three years, after the rape, pillage and plunder of the taxpayers' pocketbooks, will the deficit be

 

         a.   Less than $41,000,000,000.00

         b.   Still $41,000,000,000.00

         c.   More than $41,000,000,000.00

 

     My money, what little I have left, is on (c.) above.