CUT CALIFORNIA Education Spending

          

            The California Education Budget 

                            Should Be Cut .

The Fatted Cow 🐄 🐮 Education Spending. And the continued Budget problems in California begs an interesting question ❓⁉️ . California Gov. Newsom right now is prepared to axe 🪓 Medi -Cal for citizen Seniors in the state , at the same time expanding Healthcare for illegals. Of Course, Newsom is dicing certain programs. He will not touch the High Speed Train 🚂 wreck that is costing the state Billions. He will raise taxes on California citizens just to avoid cutting another big fat cow : The Education Budget. Now that the state spends $128-200 billion per year on education, the “paucity of funding” argument has become less compelling, so education leaders are now blaming the state’s education curricula for poor learning outcomes which are blamed on social economic system of parenting rather than teaching. I mean if you’re going to make cuts it’s low hanging fruit to make the cuts that none of your voter base will feel or be affected by, which sucks but makes sense, that the biggest fiscal spending in California is tied up half the state Budget is in Education. Not even Healthcare spending in California gets this big money spending that every other program.

The Education Budget is Bankrupting the State.

California spending 💰 on education is an insanely 200 billion dollars 💵a year, it's half of the entire state Budget collected money from struggling tax payers on the bottom of the State economy. Meanwhile California is home to 186 billionaires and 50 Fortune 500 companies. The richest billionaires and corporate CEOs have seen their wealth increase by more than $292 billion since 2020. Yet California policymakers - from the Governor to state lawmakers - have made an active policy choice to not make them pay what they owe - denying Californians of their basic needs like affordable housing.  So far most school districts are fully funded and staffed public schools, that exceeds the declining student population. It's always a straw mans argument on how California policy drives were the money goes , from whom it raises taxes on. Reducing the Education budget by just 30 billion dollars for example, which would be a good idea 😉 💡 hardly makes a dent in education spending, which will always be higher than revenues being generated by taxes. $ 200 Billion is not a grand scale, it is a gargantuan scale. Massive beyond comprehension, it even exceeds Prop 98 funding which was at 40% when it passed. That was not that much decades ago , now we have huge budget monster taking ( tanking depends how you say it) the entire state Budget spending.

Trump Dissolves The Department of Education.

The Trump administration has begun dismantling the U.S. Department of Education by laying off about half of the agency’s employees, casting uncertainty over how — or whether — billions of federal dollars for California to help disadvantaged students and those with disabilities will be distributed, how college financial aid and student loans will be managed and how civil rights enforcement will be carried out. I don't pretend to know what all goes on at the DOE, but those seem like fairly small programs compared to Title I funds. Perhaps some burden can be shifted to the states in awarding those. And, as you suggest, most states do not have the same guardrails against corruption that the federal government does, so we are likely to see more corruption. I will say, I don't trust DOGE in any capacity to make any real decisions about efficiency. They seem to be more in the "let us remove and see what happens" type strategy. It seems they removed much of the support staff. Comms, admin, IT, etc. I'm not really sure how people are supposed to work without support staff.

California Education Spending is Overspending.

“We’ve got a spending problem,” Newsom acknowledged, defending the potential cuts against anticipated blowback. “We can deny that we have a shortfall. We can deny that we have a deficit. We can deny we have a problem in the system and we could put it off and be irresponsible.”   The CRAZY 🤣 Part  is that Gavin Newsom has been repeating this for nearly five years . Has done nothing to actually reduce the crazy education budget. It's been the sticking point to every single California budget legislature gridlock for decades. The actual cause of state revenue rising expenses. Education Overspending has crippled the state of California. It's time to trim it back to levels that reflect spending in accord to actual state revenue decline, not on whim of spending deficits.

Teachers Union ?  

California Teachers Union is very influential in how much the Governor pours into the education budget. It's obviously that the union has played a role in driving up education costs without looking at the dismissal economy of California and its highest taxes, that most sadly teachers can even afford to live in the state with its highest spending on education. I can say that the only flaw with  1>>(LCFF) is ADA funding. Tying funding to school minutes per student does nothing but encourage central office bureaucrats to arbitrarily increase the length of the school day, which does nothing but appease “parent groups” while exacerbating essentially every issue we see in school buildings and pushing the onus onto school employees. You want to fix the CA education budget and a few other issues in our school system? Replace ADA with a more static funding formula and cut a few useless, bloated administrative contracts. Some of the people in these central offices do less work in a year than the average classroom teacher does in a couple hours, yet they make 3x a teacher’s salary. This is the truth. The failure is a system problem. Doubling school funding would just make the cars driven by administrators nicer. 

NOTES and COMMENTS.

1>>(LCFF).LCFF aimed to increase equity by funding districts based on students’ educational needs rather than simple enrollment counts or historical funding patterns. Most LCFF funding is determined by a per-student base grant to districts that varies by grade level. LCFF then “weights” this base grant to provide additional revenue for each student the law considers “high-need.” This is defined as being an English learner, from a low-income family, or in the foster system. Districts receive a “supplemental” grant worth 20 percent of the base grant for each high-need student. Seven years after California started pumping billions of dollars into schools with the neediest students — an attempt to narrow a chronic academic achievement gap — a new state audit has found that the state’s landmark school funding law isn’t adequately ensuring that targeted money is actually going to the disadvantaged students it’s supposed to help.  And lawmakers are concerned that some school districts may be using money intended to help high-need students to instead pay for salaries, pensions and other across-the-board services.In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Auditor Elaine Howle wrote that her team “had difficulty determining the extent to which the districts used those funds to increase or improve services for intended student groups.”

Gov. Newsom' Slippery Slope.

California faces huge multi billion dollars 💰 
Of deficits , now Gov. Newsom is 
Taking a Slippery Slope to
fight Trump.

CALIFORNIA Gov. NEWSOM'S California is a sinkhole of high taxes, regulations, that is broke with a huge yearly deficit, lost revenue. But TRUMP has set the ball rolling on Tariffs as we explained in our last two blog posts . Gavin Newsom it's slick hair jell Governor is now suing the Trump Administration over tariffs. You SHOULD guess why ? The trade war between China , the rest of the world could crash California revenues on state exports . On top of a lawsuit against Trump. Gov. Newsom is seeking trade deals and exemptions from international tariff reprisals. BUT, No state can establish international trade policy independent of the federal government, so I'm not sure how this is supposed to work. The state is also facing a budget shortfall and doesn't want to tax billionaires.Perhaps it could be sold as West Coast billionaires bypassing for their own commercial interests. Perhaps a greedy few break alliance with federal tariffs when they see paper or logistical advantage they can access. The lawsuit is Newsom’s most direct legal challenge to Trump’s agenda since the president retook office in January. The move instantly reignites California’s war with Trump and cements its place atop the resistance, after Newsom spent months appealing to the president for federal disaster relief. It’s also notable as a unilateral challenge, underscoring the singular importance of the issue in California. Bonta has worked closely with other blue states on previous lawsuits challenging Trump’s immigration policies and federal funding cuts.Newsom said that the tariffs had already cost the state billions of dollars in inflated costs and supply-chain disruptions, and that he was particularly concerned about the vulnerability of California farmers to the retaliatory trade policies of other countries. Newsom and Bonta’s argument targets the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, the law Trump is using to impose tariffs without congressional approval. The two Democrats argue Trump lacks the authority to levy tariffs under the law, mirroring a similar case filed Monday by a group of U.S. businesses. California, which the governor's office said engaged in nearly $675 billion in two-way trade last year, stands to lose billions in state revenue under Trump's tariff policies if international commerce declines and the stock market tanks. Mexico, Canada and China represent the state's three largest trade partners.

California is one big CON .

However, the fine print of Newsom’s budget contains several indirect tax increases on businesses – mostly by reducing offsets of taxable income – that over the next few years would raise as much as $18 billion.Reports from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) show that 716,948 Californians moved to another U.S. state or territory between 2020 and 2021. In that same time, 385,188 Americans moved into California — making California’s net population loss 331,760 residents. And those people took $29 billion in taxable income with them — or $183,737 on average. Meanwhile, those that moved into the state earned much less at $87,000 on average. Newsom’s rush to the center-right looks out of place amid the positive polling coming Democrats’ way, and it highlights the real moral hazard that comes from being too quick to sell out your principles because of a few bad polls. That doesn’t mean Democrats should rely on Trump to fumble his way into a Democratic Congress in 2026. They will still need to make the case for Democratic leadership. But unlike Newsom seems to think, they don’t need to abandon their Democratic bona fides to get there. Newsom's cronies are also looking for ways to tax you more!  is exploring a different funding method for road repairs: having drivers pay for them, similar to how they pay for public utilities.Known as a road charge, drivers in California would pay a monthly fee based on the number of miles driven.As California transitions to a carbon emissions-free future, the system is considered an alternative to the current gas tax. “California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom are looking at a $2 billion deficit ahead of the next fiscal year, according to a report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. It’s a dramatic improvement over last year’s budget picture, when the LAO initially projected a $68 billion shortfall. Lawmakers and Newsom took early action to trim spending, shrinking the deficit to about $47 billion for the current fiscal year. The LAO described the budget picture as “roughly balanced.” The turnaround is driven by a budget approved earlier this year, which cut $11 billion in spending and temporary revenue increases of $5.5 billion.” The news isn’t the $2B deficit, the news is that the cuts worked, nearly balancing the budget. Correct. To summarize what happened, CA made a *really* generous calculation (some would call it a historic fuck-up) on estimating incoming taxes back in 2022 or so that said they had $300bn in revenue coming because of early tax receipts, when in reality they had about $200bn coming. As an example of why this happened, on Jan 10, 2025 they have to submit their budget for July 2025-June 2026 (or approximately that), so you're basing the budget 8-20 months from now on your 3rd quarter tax receipts, and COVID was a nightmare on a state that heavily relies on income tax. Anyway...They have spent the last 2 years cancelling programs that hadn't started, scaling back others that had, shrinking existing programs, cost-cutting in some areas, pulling money out of rainy-day funds, and a little bit of creative accounting to shrink the deficit because they're required in the state constitution to pass a balanced budget. So in 3 years they'll have gone from a $100bn deficit to a $2bn deficit, which is less than 1% of the expected revenue the state is expected to bring in.  I mean, while I think the traitorous  way to define Newdom, is heading the country, I can understand the argument that Newsom is a traitor to the direction Trump is taking the country. In the strictest definition of the word, it fits. That being said, when the actions of the country are unjust, unfair, and unconscionable, the country would be better off if we were all traitors. I'd argue tha betraying the orders of a criminal president are what's best for everyone.

California Gov. Newsom's Budget Catastrophe .

REMINDER: Newsom is not a progressive. He's a corporate neoliberal fraud. California climate programs would lose billions in Newsom’s budgetThere is one party that runs this state. No threat of any other party taking power and trying new ideas. So the same agenda and same ideas are run over and over again. Until that changes. This state will continue to sink. His May Revision includes a number of cuts to IHSS, workforce initiatives, housing and homelessness programs, CalFresh/CFAP, APS, and CDA programs including the Older Californians Act.“California remains in a budget deficit and it is crucial that the state does what it can to protect those who are the most vulnerable during these times. DRC is proud to align with 132 disability, aging and other civil rights organizations to lift up issues and concerns that our community prioritizes in this year’s May Revision of the budget from Governor Newsom,” - I just don't understand how California's leaders stay as California's leaders.Opinion: California’s Broken Constitution and Powerful Lobbies Make a Balanced Budget Impossible: Gov. Gavin Newsom presents his budget plan in Sacramento. Their state is failing. Objectively. Budget deficit is over $40B- 78 billion $$$ this year. Meanwhile, they have reparations panels and free healthcare and tranny surgery for noncitizens. From what money?!? Insanity. RIGHT now the California legislature & Newsom can't seem to cut anything prudently , but they will never touch K-12 Education fat cow , which is draining the state's coffers , but I have to give credit to the State Teacher's Union , they have Gov. Newsom balls in their pockets . They managed to get Newsom to give education another 2 billion dollars , while at the same time cutting In House Healthcare for the states needy senior citizens .Newsom was embarrassed on national stage & blasted by his biggest union backers in CA over his new budget proposal — which will still come up over $70 billion short! Education budget in the state is a huge funding problem , it's over inflated, over spent.Additionally, potential reductions in spending for schools and community colleges could contribute approximately $17 billion toward resolving the deficit. BUT , nobody would touch the Fat Cow ....Words cannot express how insane this is. Gavins office initially estimated the deficit to be around another 58 billion in January 2025 . The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) recently updated that figure to 73 billion. Now, it's estimated to be 222 billion, and it's not even April. That's nearly an entire year of California's fiscal budget. Assembly Democrats are at odds with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on a handful of big issues — including proposed cuts to Medi-Cal provider rate increases and tax deduction suspensions — as lawmakers negotiate a budget to close an estimated $45 billion deficit. The Legislature must pass a spending plan by June 15 for lawmakers to receive their paychecks. That means Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, will need to reach a deal soon.California can't simply print money like the Federal Reserve.Unless California gets money from the Federal Government, The Federal Reserve can't print money to bail us out.Our constitution requires the state to balance its budget. But balancing the state budget requires violating the state constitution.How’s that? Because on fiscal matters, our constitution is effectively a ratchet. The document is full of guarantees and formulas, approved by voters, that ratchet up spending on favored programs, even when revenues drop and the state budget is out of balance.Meanwhile, the constitution also has plenty of voter-approved limits on taxes and fees. These limits ratchet down revenues in slower economic times and make it harder for the state and local governments to raise revenues to cover budget increases. However, Newsom’s budget staff assumed that the revenue bonanza from 2021 would not just continue but would grow to an even bigger bonanza in future years. These revenue assumptions were patently unrealistic, particularly with the long-standing history of capital-gains revenue crashes following booms and with the stock market declining considerably in real time during the first half of 2022.Despite this, Newsom’s staff predicted revenues for fiscal years 2022‒23 and 2023‒24 that were roughly $80 billion higher than what was realized.To put the 2022‒24 revenue prediction errors in perspective, New York is the only state that had a general fund budget at that time exceeding this error.These unrealistic assumptions led Newsom in June 2022 when he signed the budget to state that “No other state in American history has ever experienced a surplus as large as this.” But when reality bit, it bit hard, and the ephemeral surplus morphed into a deficit.  Somehow, using California math, CaDems have reduced cuts the governor requested, increased spending in several programtic areas, have a higher reserve than proposed by the governor, and balanced budget in the out years.Why is this state so poorly run? Can't we have competent non-political managers to manage budgets, maintenance needs, infrastructure, etc. Let politicians and voters define general priorities but keep actual management and execution in hands of competent people .. Seriously, the governor’s plan was a stretch, this is a whimsical skipping down a yellow brick road while singing we are off to see the wizard.

APRIL MUSINGS : Schwarzenegger WAS RIGHT & RFK Jr " Nader Effect".

1. Gov. Schwarzenegger WAS RIGHT [ 2009]. 

Anyway, I agree I think Arnold would have won a presidency if he were eligible. And probably would have been pretty decent. He took California far forward with ambitious plans. Nobody can accuse Arnold Schwarzenegger of not loving America and California. You had a tough job at a very tough time but you got a lot of very good things done. I wish you got more credit for it!.Enough to drive people CRAZY . Way BACK in OUR WAY BACK machine former California Gov. Schwarzenegger was trying to balance the state budget , he had a long battle with "SPECIAL INTERESTS" aka "Unions" .  But RIGHT now the California budget is a sinking ship with nearly 80 billion dollars in debt [ Newsom estimate 30 billion]  under it's current Governor Gavin Newsom . If you think back how many budget fiasco's California had since 2009 . It makes former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger RIGHT  , we should have been cutting spending . YOU EITHER LOVE HIM or HATE HIM , he was RIGHT .  I apologize to HIM. I worked at a Public School District for 30 years , back then I was on the side of the UNIONS . But now I REALIZE he was right almost 30 years ago ! California is a FUCKED up state with Gavin Newsom . Back then he said "It's very important that great things were accomplished in this budget," Schwarzenegger said. "I think that we have a historic budget reform in place. We did a $12.5bn rainy-day [fund] that we start now accumulating.""But what is wrong is to drag out the budget process for three months," he added. "And what is also wrong is to not be able to go and resolve, and solve, the most important issue, which is the structural deficit.", but I had low expectations for Arnold. In my mind he was the ultimate macho movie actor who was being cast into the role of Raagan 2.0. What we got was a relative centrist that had interest in governing first, not winning political points first. Right EVEN with this reflection , Gov. Newsom is walking a thin line on what he going to chop in the state budget . Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced today an “early action” plan to tackle part of that gap before the regular budget process later this spring.Policymakers must close the deficit by June 2024 as part of the 2024-25 budget process by taking actions that apply to all three fiscal years.Governor Gavin, Mayors Karen and London, just the whole shebang on the left are so smart that they can solve any problem. No problem is too big in their minds. Simple, if there's a looming $38B deficit, then they just need to count how many billionaires there are in California, and tax them $1b each. 38 billionaires to "pay their fair share" and it's solved. back in 2011, when Jerry Crazy Train Brown took over, the California budget was $86 billion, back when we required a 2/3 majority to pass a budget... fast forward to 2024, and Gav's budget is $300+ billion... end Prop 98, end all the bloated pensions, end the sanctuary state mentality, bring back prop 187... time is now for drastic action  Simple! Rightwingers couldn't have thought of that because all they do is wear big cowboy hats and boots while chewing a straw to talk about gun rights in a Southern twang. Yeehaw!!I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Schwarzenegger left office in January, 2011, more than 13 years ago. Democrats have been in charge since then. (Jerry Brown the 2nd followed Arnold, then Newsom took over)The mess that is the funding of California government is neither a right nor left wing political issue but is the nature of how California government is funded ..Per a recent LA Times article (California Politics: The taxes paid by 100,000 millionaires - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)), 40% of California income tax is paid by approximately 100,000 individuals with incomes over $1M/year.Responsibility falls completely on the Democratic party to make the cuts. They are always keen on creating more permanent costly programs when they have money. They need to learn to be more slower with new programs so that when the revenue decreases, the cuts won't be so drastic. A slight downturn in business, for instance, could noticeably reduce the collections from this very small part of California. Thus, the budget surplus from last year turned, very quickly, into a massive budget shortfall.The real issue, other than a more stable funding scheme, is to live within a budget. CA had a huge surplus just last year. Where did that go? IT NEVER EXISTED !!!. This is something that most persons have a problem with, especially politicians.

2. RFK Jr " Nader Effect".

Robert F Kennedy Jr recently said he will run for president as an independent. If that is so and he gets on the ballot will he take away votes from the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate?RFK Jr. Could POSSIBLY STEAL VOTES from both Donald J Trump and Joe Biden . It's so easy for him to get elected than picking two deejay vu candidates .Though Trump is leading the polls , Biden is still going neck to neck "chances" of winning . I think there WILL BE A NOVEMBER SURPRISE ! In-store for US ALL.In a lengthy CNN interview on Erin Burnett OutFront, Kennedy was questioned about his equivocating stance on the subject. “When people talk about the threat to democracy that Trump poses, do you think that that is equal to Biden?” Burnett asked.“Listen, I can make the argument that President Biden is a much worse threat to democracy and the reason for that is President Biden is… the first president in history that has used the federal agencies to censor political speech so it censors his opponent,” Kennedy claimed.But the damage Kennedy can do to Biden isn’t simply electoral. Remember his argument for why Biden is perhaps a worse threat to democracy than Trump — that Biden censored his opposition, which he didn’t, whereas Trump only … tried to subvert democracy. The interview is getting more attention for Kennedy’s insisting, falsely and despicably, that President Joe Biden is a greater threat to democracy than the twice-impeached, insurrection-fomenting, promised Day One dictator Donald Trump. I’ll get to that.It’s too bad that during independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s naming of his vice-presidential running mate that no one confronted him about what he said about third party candidates during the 2000 election.That was the year RFK Jr. was all over the media giving warnings to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader about the danger inherent in such a candidacy. “Ralph Nader is my friend,” he told CNN, “but his candidacy, I think, poses a huge threat to the environment in this country, and the reason for that, of course, is he could drain off votes in certain key states that would otherwise go to Al Gore.” And, he added, this could result in the election of George W. Bush.Polling indicates that support for the black sheep of the Kennedy family is stronger than for any third party or independent candidate since Ross Perot in 1992.Anyone who believes this has-been, drugged-out loser really needs to have their head examined. His father must he turning in his grave to see all the damage his son is trying to do to everything Bobby Kennedy held dear. The Kennedy family is even against him. The only way he found that he could become relevant was to threaten Biden's re-election, and the GOP and Trump befriended him immediately. Alone and without anything to sell to the GOP, no one would have given him the time of day. Please don't let this idiot get away with his low-rent ranting and lies. His gravely drugged-damaged voice gives me the creeps. It looks like a tight race and even if he takes just a point or two away from the Biden column, it could be enough to hand the Oval Office back to Mr. Trump. 

California Gov. Newsom AWOL !!!!

Sounds like a big money laundering scheme. The fact that so many well regarded mental health advocacy groups oppose the prop is a huge, huge reg flag. We'll talk a little about Prop 1 . And our ... California Gov. Newsom has gone AWOL . He was supposed to give his "State of the State" and as usual he ditched it , because everything with the state of California is screwed up .California budget is in the tank ... am sure Newsom has some good news ? Is Newsom working on the budget ?  Gavin Newsom also faces a second RECALL attempt , with that he's probably one of the worst governors in the United States .  A lot of Californians are having a tough time with rising inflation, including housing prices, gas prices, and all types of products/services. Moreover, wages aren't keeping pace. Therefore, they are likely to blame the person at the top regardless of whether he had something to do with it or not (and I'll leave my opinion on that for another time).Also, Newsom is raising his profile nationally, which often doesn't play well for any politician within his own state. He's alienating part of his base while becoming a lightning rod for Republicans and even some of his Democratic colleagues (e.g., Fetterman), and that is going to have some in-state effects as well.Newsom's recent moves also don't play to his strength among California voters, which is being in step with the majority of them on just about every issue. Instead, his constant airtime is highlighting his core weakness - i.e., a lack of charisma, personal charm, likability, or whatever you want to call it. For many Californians, he may be a guy who they want in charge but he doesn't have the ability to inspire (like Obama) or have people relate to him (like Bill Clinton).  

Proposition 1 Debacle .

Right now the Governor is waiting on his Prop 1 . Gavin Newsom postponed his annual State of the State speech while he rushes to fix rejected ballots of registered Democrats only to save his $6.4 billion Proposition 1 by using his federal PAC “Campaign for Democracy” What makes me skeptical is borrowing the money via bonds instead of just paying as we go (which means things will be slower to start, yes, but given the challenge a slow start might be beneficial to work things out). At today's interest rates borrowing seems kind of disadvantageous. Pretty much everything else im down with, forced treatment yes please. But I'm curious if there's a good reason to use bonds here. When I first started reading about it, I thought it was probably a good idea. But after more reading and analysis, it just seems to me like the cost per bed is ridiculously high (this many billions of dollars should help WAY more people), there are existing ballot measures that haven’t nearly lived up to their promises that we should see to fruition first, and that 1 is likely to just cause different people to become homeless when they lose their existing mental healthcare support from the counties when Prop 1 takes county money. I’m also not happy about the last minute amendments in the legislature that were made before it was rushed onto the March ballot. Oh- and why is there so much builder and corporate money behind it (Uber just dropped a bunch of money to the Yes campaign- WHY?). That’s very suspect. Where the money comes from is always telling.I have read a lot of arguments for and against and while I agree with the goal, this haphazardly written and rushed ballot measure seems like the wrong way to go about it.Ballot propositions in California are generally poorly written and have a notorious track record of unintended consequences, or special interest fuckery…in the absence of compelling independent endorsements, vote no.

The State of the State in "decline".

Gavin Newsom’s California is the richest state but its cities resemble those of Third World countries.Biden stated that Newsom could “have the position I aspire to.”Ponder the implications for our nation's future if this were to come to fruition. Keep in MIND that Gov. Newsom flew to China at the same time neglecting the state budget .Gavin’s been running for president since he was mayor of SF. It’s an open secret. He’s just waiting for the Democratic Machine to give him the green light at this point. That they are letting him travel to China to meet with Xi means it’s coming soon. I’d put my money on 2028. His current gubernatorial term ends Jan 24, 2027. Recently he vetoed several bills, and I am not sure the legislator could overturn the veto. Some were programs I'd generally agree with but his reasoning was the same for all of them. No budget or no funding provided for these programs. Most of his years he has kept the budget pretty solid and kept an rainy day fund for the lean years. He is NOT  a good governor and I'd prefer someone who was a bit more idealist and left but he has kept the budget relatively strong. A lot of the conservative hate centered around covid and the bad optics he had at a dinner party, but the funny thing about that dinner party. It followed covid protocol. Surplus, then deficit, then surplus, then deficit. Eventually we will hit surplus again and then later deficit again. Wow first it’s a 32 billion dollar deficit…then it’s a 68 billion dollar deficit. Now, we’re being told it’s a 73 billion dollar deficit. California lawmakers are about to implement a bunch of new taxes or cut benefits for a lot of their social programs.  Going to be interesting watching the media turn a blind eye to the millions of Californians who will be hurt when Democrats cut programs which people rely on. Democrats have completely run the State of California for a decade. They have a super-majority, and Republicans are unable to even filibuster a bad bill as a last resort.The policy failures and bad legislation are theirs and theirs alone; Bad propositions are often due to heavy pushing by liberal institutions, if not the CA Democratic Party.  Oh well. Devil is in the details that is Gavin Newsom himself .. gone AWOL !

CALIFORNIA GOING BUST AGAIN!

CALIFORNIA GOING BUST AGAIN!

(1)>>California Facing Record $68 Billion Deficit, Potential 'Fiscal Budget Emergency': Legislative Analyst For the latter part . READ my past Article from January 2023 . Where I warned that the California budget was NOT Fiscally Solvent .👉[ https://theun-politics.blogspot.com/search?q=California+deficit Anyone know how this compares to other states as a % of their overall budget? Obviously, $68B is a massive number, google is telling me it's 30% of their current slated budget? Does any other state even get to a deficit of 20%?]  The nation's most populous state — with an economy that is SUPPOSEDLY the fifth largest in the world — has been struggling since last year because of the rising prices of most goods and services and how the U.S. government has been trying to control it.  The money is already spent/allocated.The tax revenue isn't as high as expected.  The State spent more in anticipation of tax revenue expected. For ONE thing (2)>>California Gov. Newsom while debating Florida Gov. DeSantis , he  just made a public fool of himself , trying to compare Florida with California .  Yep, the perfect Democratic Presidential backup candidate. Already knows how to spend more money than he takes in. Zero training required. While I don't like DeSantis . BUT the whole problem with Newsom is he is a careless fickle , who not to long ago was visiting China & touting California was the 5th largest economy .  I have to say that California is cooked goose when it comes to it's spending practices Newsom Humiliated By Disastrous Budget Report One Week After Bragging About California's Economy .  (3)>>Again and Again , California faces a budget crisis .  Last year I remember seeing a lot of articles/headlines about a $100B surplus and now it has swung completely the opposite direction and now they are saying there is a budget deficit of $30B. Did something happen that caused this $130B swing in their budget? California economy is practically in a dismal state since the Covid Lock-Downs  .A 97.5B surplus mathematically cannot morph into a 30B deficit, unless the original projection was reached by throwing darts blindfolded. Or…was it done by alumni of progressive studies where math is highly optional? This time its OVER 68 BILLION DOLLARS !?why it’s not considered a crisis ?  The State of California is practically BANKRUPT . Trust me ,the state has no money . If you looks the previous deficits since the Covid year 2020 , the state just gave a blank check to it's services , departments . It's almost criminal in a way , that people in California pay huge taxes , they get screwed all the time .  (4)>>I would say Gov. Newsom should just "resign" . No BULL SHIT.Ten Month's ago , Well we do, he knew as the Governor  and it’s a $20 billion+ deficit that’s growing.He kept on spending with no strings attached.And while the analyst’s office also warned that the state reserves are unlikely to cover multiyear deficits” (projected at about $30 billion a year), some Democratic legislators still prefer using some savings to slashing key programs. If the State can't store away extra money as a buffer for years when tax income drops then it can't do long-term planning and has to resort to emergency measures to make up budget shortfalls. Not sure how you weren’t aware of that given it’s the subject .....but the spending of  (4)>>Education increased making up half the state budget . A touchy subject . Talk about education . I used to work for public education for almost 33 years . I have seen times when the State Budget would be rosy one year and the next year it be a pile of crap . And the "drama" of what the state budget creates trickles up and down in the public schools with devastating consequences  for students , teachers and everyone else that works there .They also will be forced to consider cuts to education funding — a move that would be widely unpopular, with the potential to dredge up labor tensions and force painful decisions at the local level during an election year. But the BULL SHIT CLOWNS that run the California government just seemed to skim that subject matter . I know one of the stated reasons for the deficit is due to delaying tax returns. Any idea if the tax returns that only recently got processed, are being counted in this deficit? Or could it possibly be reduced once all those are counted? HOWEVER where did 2 years of tax revenue just go? Was it the COSMIC COOKIE MONSTER that somehow just siphoned off 20 billion dollars ??? NOW I have to question the States "claim" that it has 34 billion in reserves ???  (5)>>Nothing in the California budget adds UP ?

NOTES AND COMMENTS :(1)>>California Facing Record $68 Billion Deficit, Potential 'Fiscal Budget Emergency': Legislative Analyst.  That is the biggest deficit by dollars in state history, but previous deficits have been larger as a percentage of state spending. California's current budget tops $300 billion, the largest by far of any state. How it happened ? It was gross negligence on the part of Gov. Newsom . Way back , January 2023 , Newsom prepared a budget knowing fully that California was 20 billion in the hole . He did not authorized , or prioritize any deficit reductions , instead he increased spending by another 200 billion dollars , with less tax revenues coming in.  Actually, California politicians do grasp volatility. That was demonstrated 11 months ago when Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a 2023-24 budget that addressed what he said was a $22.5 billion deficit just eight months after he had boasted of a $97.5 billion surplus.“No other state in American history has ever experienced a surplus as large as this,” Newsom had bragged in May 2022, thus encouraging his fellow Democrats in the Legislature to sharply increase spending. It was a problem first noted by San Francisco’s budget office but nobody really took notice. Well tbf Gov Newsome warned about it last year or so, so it wasn’t unexpected.California has a highly progressive tax structure that is also highly volatile. In a good year it can mean a $100B surplus. In a bad year it can mean a $100B deficit. This isn't news.(2)>>California Gov. Newsom while debating Florida Gov. DeSantis , he  just made a public fool of himself , trying to compare Florida with California . Last week’s Fox News debate between Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom revealed several inconvenient truths about California and Gavin Newsom. One is that California’s poorly designed economic policies have delivered record high housing costs and homelessness, high tax rates, high energy costs, and failing public schools, despite enormous school spending. Another is Newsom’s unwillingness—to the point of absurdity—to own any of those policy mistakes.There are so many other policy failures in California that never came up in the debate. Nearly one out of three Californians live in or near poverty. Buying a home is unattainable for nearly all Californians, which reflects Newsom’s failed promise to increase homebuilding in the state. Nearly one million Californians don’t have access to clean water, a problem that should be an obvious priority for the state to fix but that persists after five years of Newsom’s governorship.Many Californians are tired of Newsom. In a state that is totally dominated by the Democratic party, Newsom’s job approval has dropped to 43 percent, with just 18 percent approving strongly. It is obvious now that Newsom is looking to the national political stage. And Californians are now looking for a governor who can fix these policy failures.  (3)>>Again and Again , California faces a budget crisis .  California has a really bad record about balancing budgets . AS far as YOU can go back to 2003 , when the state had a deficit under then Gov. Gray Davis it was just peanuts if you compare with today's wreak of a state . Mind you , the state was in the hole for decades .Newsom’s economic analysts are not projecting a recession in the near future, but they noted the potential for one based on inflation and rising interest rates. With the state facing a significant budget deficit, federal COVID funding to schools set to dry up in 2024, and the need to help students make up for learning losses suffered during the pandemic, California’s schools and policymakers have their work cut out for them. California has been really broke , it's a high tax state that has been putting money into a its educational system more than it's infrastructure .A study by the California Policy Center in 2013 found that conservative estimates of total government debt — including city, county, and public school district debt — totaled nearly $850 billion. More realistic assumptions about future health care costs and the annual rate of return on the pension fund (4.5% instead of 5.5%) put the total debt over $1 trillion.Worse for Newsom, this turnaround does not reflect a national phenomenon. Gregg Abbott’s Texas and Ron DeSantis’s Florida have achieved large budget surpluses, with several red states even initiating tax cuts. If the situation does not change, the contrast could prove devastating to Newsom’s presidential ambitions as well as to President Joe Biden, whose policy agenda largely follows progressive California lines.   (4)>>I would say Gov. Newsom should just "resign" .  With the growing evidence of fiscal neglect , starting January 2023 the state under Newsom did not do any budget accommodations to a growing deficit except spotty shuffling of revenues that did not eliminate the already grown deficit from the "previous" 2 years. While we been told that the state had a surplus of 97 billion $$$ , that maybe not exactly truthful . The question of the state reserves can't explain the budget shortfalls of the last two years when revenues were dropping . In MAY we had a growing deficit 32 billion dollars , his revise did not call for cross the board cuts , instead he went ahead with a huge spending plan , was warned by the LAO about a potential economic disaster .In 2022, the stock market declined, which meant far less revenue from capital gains. This is how we went from a $75B surplus in 2021 to a $32B deficit in 2022.Note that this 'deficit' will have impact on local services like parks, police, fire, schools, roads, etc. This will only have a noticeable impact on state level services, like CSU/UC schools, state parks, high-speed rail, etc. Again , Newsom's office was vary aware of the impending doom , remember to flew to China while a deficit was just piling up .Never leave money on the table. As someone with the state, you need to ensure you can utilize the funding. Otherwise you will get less funding in the next fiscal year. (4)>>Education increased making up half the state budget. California spent  about $128 billion on K–12 public education this fiscal year. This amount exceeds the entire budget of all states except New York and Texas and is roughly equal to the combined state budgets of Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Tennessee. The population of these states together is nearly 33 million, compared to California’s 39.2 million population. It's half of the entire state budget . In my line of thinking it's a catastrophic way set to the California education system into a trip wire bomb fiasco . Once the state is in a financial fiasco , it puts K-12 funding always at the chopping block first . It's not entirely saying that education is underfunded in the state , but there are huge wage discrepancies how teachers are paid and verses the high cost of living in the state . These huge expenditures have stalled major California infrastructure plans for decades .It's not how students are educated , but it's how the state government has allocated half of its it's budget to schools .(5)>>Nothing in the California budget adds UP ? Consider what Newsom and his partners in crime in the legislature did last year knowing that the state’s financial roller coaster would eventually start its predictable plunge.Trying to explain California’s $68 billion deficit versus Florida’s $22 billion surplus could have prompted Newsom to embark on political contortions that could have thrown his back out.The announcement California is staring down a record $68 billion deficit comes just 18 months after Gov. Gavin Newsom bragged the Golden State was sitting on a $97.5 billion surplus.A year after his surplus boasting, Newsom presented a 2023-24 budget that dealt with a projected $31.5 billion deficit. Since its passage in June, revenues have continued to fall below estimates, which means a continuing gap between income and outgo. Now  the Golden State is now staring at a $68 billion shortfall because the gusher of tax revenue from soaking the rich has dried up.In plain English: Poof. Now, the surplus is gone and California is facing a sizable budget deficit. The fun is over. A Politico story captured the weeping and gnashing of teeth in Sacramento, as Democratic leaders vowed to protect every penny of spending from the budget ax. None of this should have been a surprise, given that “warning signs have been flashing for months.” 

THE NEXT 45 DAYs TILL ANOTHER GOV SHUTDOWN.

Kevin McCarthy's flim flam deal is it just to patch it up

till November ?

( SINCE WRITING this McCarthy was ousted by

a majority of the Republicans . STAY TUNED for

more CHAOS AHEAD !!!!!)

Americans are weary but also a bit clueless.That’s what politicians are counting on. I recently said to a friend that TSA agents often live paycheck to paycheck. Their response was “well they’ll get back pay.” The only problem with that attitude is, the landlord, car payments, electric company, cell phone provider, grocery store all need to get paid immediately. Backpay isn’t that helpful.

The shutdown fight continues in November. More childish behavior from Washington to come.

THE BIG QUESTION here is .  (1)>>>Did McCarthy really save the "day " but cutting a somewhat deal to avoid the Shutdown ??. We'll it's no exactly over , everything is done under a patch up to avoid anything catastrophic to the American Economy . In the end, the 45-day funding patch that is on track to keep the government open passed with more Democratic than GOP votes, in a repeat of the spring debt vote that first inflamed McCarthy’s opponents. It is probably no surprise that Republican infighting scuttled a stopgap measure on Friday in the House of Representatives, designed to avert a government shutdown on September 30.While the US Congress decides what is essential and what isn’t — the line is typically drawn at safety — no government funds means no government spending. That is the deadline to approve new budget legislation to fund the United States government over the next fiscal year — (2)>>This whole ordeal , the infighting between the MAGA Republicans , the Rino Republicans and liberal Spend and Tax Democrats is very revealing , for the first part this whole "fiasco" pretty much has to do with funding the "war in Ukraine" . McCarthy paved the way to continue funding Ukraine even thru a Government shutdown. Dems approved the CR without an Ukraine aid package on the condition that the speaker of the House will put a separate, independent aid bill on the floor for a vote within the coming months. Also, current levels of aid go unchanged.  (3)>>It HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DOMESTIC SPENDING . For the most part Republican and Democrats have the same foreign policy.Yes, its "Funnel all the money into the military industrial complex", On that they can always agree upon.  I'm skeptical. His situation may be precarious, but he did manage to thwart the 'freedom caucus' and avoid the shutdown they were trying to force on purpose. I don't buy into the idea of hoping for a shutdown just so the GOP looks bad. That would hurt an awful lot of Americans. Our money is taxed before we get it, taxed while we use it, & taxed after we die...Yet they still mismanage it to the point of over (4)>>$30 TRILLION in debt, other trillions unaccounted for or lost...But there is no money to keep us going, yet cash is available non-stop for Ukraine.We have no voice. We have no recourse. Our government doesn't fear us or listen to us. They do whatever they want because they know they can. It's taxation without representation. If we lie to our government, it's a felony. If they lie to us, it's for our own good or national security, or some other lie. They do insider-trading, money laundering, secret transactions between other countries, & they turn to their own citizens, shrug and say there isn't enough money & they need more. (5)>>WE ARE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR GOVERNMENT.  The problem is that McCarthy instead of pandering to a select few repub hold outs he should be reaching across the isle. In order for them to remove him they would need a majority vote which I doubt would happen if he were more willing to negotiate. The way things stand now I see the Dems basically saving his ass so I don't see them being too kind if a motion to vacate were to come up.  For the first time in American history , our government was & still is being held hostage by Zelensky , Ukraine,  what is at stake is more than 24 billion dollars  "aide" package  to basically prop up the "economy of Ukraine" , rather than dealing with our own crumbling nation .

Ukraine Deficit Spending .

Zelensky is waiting
the "next" round of
Billions of dollars !?

For Nearly two years the American government sent Ukraine over (6)>>180 billion dollars , of that 180 billion our Washington D.C. war Hawks sent to the battlefield only 5 % of that money was ever used for the war effort . Meanwhile, Unfortunately for him, the lend-lease is already signed. Exactly for this reason "they" want to oust  (7)>>McCarthy . IF HE DID some SECRET DEAL. They will trade Ukraine Aid for increased border sec beca both sides act want both those things, and they can both then proclaim a win .  Matt Gaetz, a longtime critic of McCarthy and one of the ringleaders of the effort to block him from becoming speaker in January, told reporters: “I’ve said that whether or not Kevin McCarthy faces a motion to vacate is entirely within his control because all he had to do was comply with the agreement that he made with us in January. Putting this bill on the floor and passing it for Democrats would be such an obvious, blatant, and clear violation of that. We would have to deal with it.”But not all the skeptics of continuing resolutions in the conference were ready to strip McCarthy of the speaker’s gavel. But - look at how far the putinist have had to come from just a few years ago, when the prior US president told (8)>>Zelenskyy that Ukraine will not receive a single cent unless they fall in behind Trump and become agents of his re-election. From "not one cent" to what we have now: "okay technically infinite money for this year and then a further 44 billion and then we'll reconvene"...they will be forced to walk back further when push comes to shove. It would appear to me that McCarthy will do whatever it takes to avoid a shutdown, even if that means giving the Democrats everything they want. I don't see how a shutdown could possibly occur in six weeks. Of course they're happy. They got what they wanted. They will get the Ukraine aid later and they know that. This is a ridiculous win for the minority party in the House to have. The Democrats can hardly contain their joy over this win they never should have gotten. Wow. Because McCarthy might not be Speaker in 6 weeks. I bet either later today or Monday one of the Freedom Caucus or other far right Republican files the motion to vacate and we will have to see if it succeeds.  They're just showy cowards.................

McCarthy is GONE but .......

There is (9)>>NO ESCAPING GOVERNMENT CHAOS . Is there a vote for a new speaker? What happens when they can't pick someone? I get that Gaetz and Friends just want to burn the system to the ground, so ousting  (10)>>McCarthy has always been part of the plan.If McCarthy does get ousted, a speaker pro tempore, who is picked by McCarthy is assigned to lead Congress.Then a vote for Speaker of the House is taken. Not sure who else really wants the gig at the moment. With how slim the (R) margin is, the Freedom Caucus has an inordinate amount of power as compared against their number of members.When McCarthy was elected, he had to negotiate (and the House vote) a complete set of rules for the session. If (or more likely when) there's a vote for a new Speaker, do those rules remain? Or does the House vote for a new rule package along with a new Speaker? If they can't pick someone, they vote again until they do. Electing a new speaker is only possible if either (a) the GOP votes more or less together with no more than, I think, 4 defectors or (b) some Democrats vote for the new speaker (McCarthy, presumably, but potentially some other "moderate" Republican). Democrats will presumably only do this if they got some very firm (as in, written into the rules package, as no one trusts McCarthy's word) and very significant concessions. And a Speaker who relied on votes from the opposition party would be a very weak Speaker indeed. (11)>> If Gaetz pulls the trigger [ETA: I was slightly out of date, looks like he has] and has three or four like-minded friends, it'll be a shit show, and the exact outcome is hard to predict. One possibility is that McCarthy gets the Ethics Committee to reopen the investigation into the whole underage sex trafficking thing, and maybe even toss Gaetz out of Congress (which could presumably get some Democratic votes). But can that be done while the Speakership is vacant? I doubt it. It reminds me of the debt ceiling charade that happens from time to time. The one percent that control our plutocracy didn't want that debt ceiling thing to happen, so I saw a near 0% chance of it happening. (12)>>Yes, ANOTHER SHUTDOWN IS COMING in 45 DAYS !!!. A government shutdown be as serious as a default. I don't know what the one percent are thinking, but if it was me, I would find that huge deficit troublesome to future financial stability, and would push to have it trimmed as part of any deal.One thing is for sure. The people figuring out what to do don't give a horse's patootie about what the rabble thinks.

NOTES AND COMMENTS : (1)>>>Did McCarthy really save the "day ".What a dumbass. Like, seriously, he had a lot of power and could have stayed in power but instead his ego couldn’t handle making a deal with the Democrats. But he screwed the pooch and threw his support in with the  Ukraine Fascists who hate his ass. McCarthy actually made a good faith effort to keep the government open by dealing with the dems. The Dem's wanted the Biden Impeachment off his list , more money to Ukraine  That likely would screwed his speakership if it weren't for the impeachment inquiry and then him turning around and trying to make it out like the GOP did all the work to keep the country open.THIS timeline McCarthy spent months unable to get agreement within his own caucus for what the hell to do, ignored the compromise the GOP and the Dems worked out in the Senate, ignored House Dems entirely, and then threw in a last second CR he needed Dems to pass, and then promptly blamed them for the whole thing even as -- and I cannot stress this ENOUGH -- he was unable to even get his own caucus to vote for anything.  If I read correctly they needed 5 before. 8 republicans voted to oust him. In think there would have been 5 votes for the motion, but who knows.Turns out being a weakling who promised stuff to both sides and then breaking those promises under pressure wasn’t a great plan.(2)>>This whole ordeal , the infighting between the MAGA Republicans , the Rino Republicans and liberal Spend and Tax Democrats is very revealing. With the U.S. government due to run out of funding at midnight on Saturday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled Senate are at odds over priorities they would like to include in legislation that would keep the government running in the new fiscal year that starts Oct. 1. The current chaos lies in a flurry of disagreements between the Speaker and the ultra-conservative members of his party on disparate issues ranging from a “woke” military to legislative budget procedures. But both camps agree that if they ever manage to pass the necessary spending bills, the cuts to public services, including education and clean water, should be much higher than those agreed to by the President and House leaders earlier this summer .The Fiscal Responsibility Act passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support and was signed by the President in June to avert a cataclysmic default. As part of the deal, the White House and Senate Democrats agreed to demands from McCarthy and his caucus for significant spending cuts. That deal set specific funding levels for defense, Veterans Affairs medical care, and all other non-defense discretionary programs – programs that require annual appropriations from Congress. The deal required about $2 billion in cuts next year to non-defense, non-VA discretionary spending programs. We don’t have to be here right now. President Biden and Speaker McCarthy negotiated and agreed to a budget deal that was intended to prevent any shutdown for the next two years. Not everyone in either party was pleased with all the specifics of the deal, but it passed with large bipartisan support and would keep government services that the public is paying for up and running. While the Senate swiftly moved forward with that agreement, Kevin McCarthy’s House once again slid into disarray and dysfunction.Nonetheless, the manufactured crisis of the past few weeks may soon return because the bill is a short-term deal. The measure passed extends funding only until mid-November, and MAGA Republicans are bent on imposing their fiscal and policy views on the nation.(3)>>It HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DOMESTIC SPENDING .  It's REALLY FUNNY that the Government hang up has nothing to do with domestic spending , but how many more billions can be sent to Ukraine . The MAGA Republicans are right to question how much spending is wasted , how our economy is crashing,while paying for a costly dangerous proxy war . Here is the statistics , Federal budgetary expenditures for the post-9/11 wars include many expenses far beyond direct Congressional war appropriations. The approximately $2.3 trillion in Congressional appropriations through Fiscal Year 2022 for “Overseas Contingency Operations” — which include combat in the post-9/11 war zones as well as international assistance through the State Department and USAID — are just the tip of an iceberg.Other spending directly related to the War on Terror includes additions to the Pentagon “base” budget, about $900 billion through FY2022. And while the U.S. paid for past wars by raising taxes and selling war bonds, the current wars have been paid for almost entirely with borrowed money, on which interest has to be paid. Through FY2022, the U.S. government owes over $1 trillion in interest on these wars. Even if war spending spending ceased immediately, so that expenses for Overseas Contingency Operations and the Pentagon’s base budget went to zero, spending on interest would continue to accrue, reaching at least several trillion dollars in over the next few decades. Domestic spending has gone down in the last 2 decades while military spending has out pace inflation and the national debt . (4)>>$30 TRILLION in debt, other trillions unaccounted for or lost...But there is no money to keep us going. We live in a debt filled economy. Will the US ever pay it off? - Probably unlikely. That's why it's important to leverage debt into cash producing assets, not liabilities. You would think that after having borrowed $30 trillion dollars all of our cities and towns would look like shiny, gleaming utopias. Libraries and schools that make architects blush. High speed rail networks connecting every major city, state of the art airports, brand new bridges and roads, tree lined bike paths in every city, etc...Instead we have growing homeless encampments, rising crime and crumbling infrastructure.Wonderful times. One example of why well managed debt can be a net positive for a country, even with $30T in debt. Because US treasury rate is so low compared to other countries, the US actually has a net profit on US debt owned by foreign countries vs foreign debt owned by US. Breakdown Oversimplified - We are borrowing money from China at a cheap rate to lend money to UK at a higher rate.We also have a massive ROI on domestic spending. E.g. We have a seemingly problematic relationship with defense contractors in which we spend a ridiculous amount on our military. Ignoring the need for military spending arguments, there an incredible fiscal argument for it. That spending goes to companies that use it to manufacture primarily American made products. Paying both suppliers and employees for their materials and services which they in turn pay their employees or buy things from predominately American stores. All of that goes back into the system as tax revenue.I am NOT advocating for military industrial complex, but from a purely financial aspect, the amount borrowed leads to a huge ROI in tax revenue. Now there are huge holes and inefficiencies in all of this, but it's just an example as to how meaningless the debt amount is, in a vacuum. It's 30 trillion dollars funneled straight to the top, this money isn't going into improving anything it just gets thrown around by corrupt a-holes.(5)>>WE ARE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR GOVERNMENT.  We are all in an abusive relationship with our governments. We need to fight back! I am so sick of this crap! That's because the amount of money circulating has nothing to do with wealth creation or improved living standards. If you want wealth you need to unleash ingenuity and allow people to direct their resources according to their preferences. This boils down to less government involvement in the economy. Politicians continue to screw over America year after year after year. The current shutdown is a great example, the politicians who are still paid get to argue like children for as long as they want without any consequences while workers go without pay for almost a month.They don't even have to worry about not being reelected because each side blames the other and their constituents will vote the same again rather than realizing everyone is at fault and all the old politicians need to be barred from rerunning.That brings me to term limits. There's no good argument against term limits for all senators and congressmen. America is just a large oligarchy with small changes. Like an oligarchy, democracy combo.Schools in America are shit. Not enough funding, outdated curriculum and teaching styles, standardized tests that DO NOT WORK, and an endless list of other issues.Our jury system, while great in theory, just becomes a likeability contest in many cases. Justice is rare in America. Not to mention for profit prisons that are full of people who did drugs, but we don't give them rehab.America is rampant with drugs, and nothing is going to change that because everything we tried failed and the American government doesn't care enough to actually help citizens.Those are just the things I thought of while typing this. There's many more.America is not the best nation in the world ANYMORE, it is horrible. So horrible I don't understand how anyone can bear to say the pledge of allegiance without feeling sick.(6)>>180 billion dollars , of that 180 billion our Washington D.C. war Hawks sent. The whole point is to use taxpayer funds to pay the defense contractors, you think those companies would allow that money to be sent to Ukraine before they collect on it? It's a wealth-transfer right in front of our eyes and most are too oblivious to see it.And if we could find a miraculous way to get out of perpetual conflict the world over, maybe we wouldn't need an $800 billion annual defense budget which would result in less taxation and more cash in peoples pockets, contrary to your sarcastic commentary. I often think we've been in a state of perpetual conflict for so long, that most people can't remember a world before it. It has become the default state of affair. Super sad. Top oversight officials responsible for tracking over $110 billion in U.S. military and economic aid to Ukraine said they would press to deploy auditors and investigators directly into the war zone to beef up monitoring as the scale and scope of American assistance expands.There’s nothing good about this conflict. People are dying and it’s costing money from the aid sent and then once again through the increased cost burden from sanctions. Nobody in a leadership position has stated a rational idea of what a peace deal looks like or a plan to return to normalcy.Know how much the average American’s life will change if Ukraine were to accept a peace deal less than retaking Crimea?None. Bills will still be due, rent and mortgage will still be paid, the sun will still riser, and the world will keep turning. This offers absolutely no benefit to the citizens. (7)>>McCarthy . IF HE DID some SECRET DEAL. Much of official Washington was stunned Saturday when Democrats backed a 45-day stopgap government spending bill that did not contain emergency funding for Ukraine, after the White House said an additional $24 billion in aid was needed. Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his leadership role is likely to have implications far beyond the nation's capital.Republicans and Democrats alike were stoking suspicion about a possible secret Ukraine "side deal" struck by McCarthy and Biden over the weekend as the California Republican raced against the clock to avoid a government shutdown.Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida invoked the alleged Ukraine deal in a speech on the House floor Monday as he began the effort to remove McCarthy from his speaker role. The House voted in favor of the motion on Tuesday in an unprecedented move that left the chamber in chaos. "...CBS News asked him on Sunday, "Are you going to be able to trust Speaker McCarthy when the next deal comes around?" "We just made one about Ukraine," he replied. "So, we'll find out." "The president himself certainly fueled the idea, when CBS News asked him on Sunday, "Are you going to be able to trust Speaker McCarthy when the next deal comes around?" "We just made one about Ukraine," he replied. "So, we'll find out." Biden just throwing straight up hand grenades into the GOP fire. (8)>>Zelenskyy that Ukraine will not receive a single cent .  The military industrial complex will continue to launder the billions for as long as the US government keeps “funding Ukraine” Peace and democracy will never be found with a gun or bomb!  Ukraine is funded through February, this just means the 24 billion asked for wasn't approved. They are trying to get the Ukrainian bill to the house floor by itself.....Ukraine support is like what 30 to 40 billions per year? US defense budget is like 800 billions per year?So for not even 5% of defense budget they are destroying Russia military and economy for the next decade at least. If Democrats pretended they hated aid to Ukraine, Republicans would love it. Their entire worldview is based on being the opposite of everything Democrats are, do, and support. They don’t even consider the details. If Democrats like it, it’s bad. If Democrats criticize it, it’s good. There’s no greater depth. Mitt Romney, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and others have children/relatives who worked for Ukrainian energy companies. This war is a money laundering operation and Biden knows if this war ends his family and our entire political elite will be exposed. So what's the solution? Start WW3 over a nonNATO country and use it to postpone the election and institute a FBI mass arrest campaign most likely labeling Trump supporters as idk russian spies or some other bullsht reason.Brace for the inevitable war at the cost of innocent peoples lives caused by heartless and corrupt politicians. I just hope they get their fair slice of despair and loss. Are you greedy?(9)>>NO ESCAPING GOVERNMENT CHAOS .  US government in complete chaos, only days after Republican leader joined hands with the Democrats to avert a shutdown. Now the spot left vacant by McCarthy, also leaves the country without a designated second in line to the presidency.The ouster may have potentially triggered a chaos in the house right ahead of the US Presidential Polls to be held in 2024.And while the US avoided one government shutdown for now , in 45 DAYS ANOTHER SHUTDOWN is possible .The two chambers of Congress are deadlocked, with a small group of Republicans in the House of Representatives pushing back against stopgap measures that would at least keep the lights on.The US has been digging their own grave with their horrendous and irresponsible fiscal policy for the last decades.This is just games and muscle flexing - once they come to an agreement, they will continue spending and printing money like there's no tomorrow. The last crash in 2008 was a direct result of adopting the USAs fiscal insanity .Just keep borrowing more if not start printing money until your currency is worthless that is bidenomics Now we are seeing a world with high interest meaning misery for those clinging on to homes that are overpriced on loans that were near zero%when they committed to 30 years mortgages that now the interest rate is crippling .(10)>>McCarthy has always been part of the plan. Kevin McCarthy COOKED his goose when he started to negotiate in "secret" behind closed doors with the Democrats , two things where on the plate , one was more Ukraine Money & to Remove articles of impeachment against Joe Biden . Remember that Democratic senators were increasingly concerned that any deal that Biden strikes with McCarthy will include major concessions to House conservatives that they would find hard to support. Now McCarthy was keeling over,  kissing Biden's hand for a quick settlement of Ukraine , which Biden was trying to Push another 24 , billion dollars in aide money.Most of the MAGA Republicans were opposed to. You should realize that Biden aka "big guy" was probably trying to sway McCarthy into softening his position . Nevertheless , McCarthy was playing into the hands of the Democrats , which he was caught and ousted .(11)>> If Gaetz pulls the trigger [ETA: I was slightly out of date, looks like he has] .Gaetz and the others were specifically holding out for actual policy promises McCarthy gave them when he became speaker. He wants single issue spending proposals (ie not omnibus spending bills) and term limits to name a few  I seriously doubt that anyone else in their caucus can even come up with the votes to become Speaker. They're just going to flail around, a headless golem, until someone nominates McCarthy again. It's going to be the biggest unforced error in congressional history, and I am so there for it.edit: the possibility that they'll remove Gaetz from congress is icing on the cake.The job is political suicide now. t's worth remembering that the house and senate let themselves be ruled by longstanding traditions which often serve no purpose in an evolving political system. The fillabuster for example is an accident in the rules.A little known rule in the house is the Hastert Rule which states that a speaker should only bring a vote to the floor if it has majority approval from the speakers party. Even if a bill would pass with support from the full house, speakers should only bring votes if they have a majority internally. This builds cohesion within the party and limits the power of any who seek to support minority rule by allowing a small group to overcome the will of the majority.Oh wait. Sorry missed one thing.The Hastert Rule is only 11 years old. Not a longstanding house tradition. It came from the tea party and in just 11 years it's led to the howler monkey minority gaining control by letting them shout how they'll vote things down and the spineless other 200 elected reps roll their eyes. Then the speaker says, welp we don't have a party majority guess we'll never need to vote on this.Yesterday was one of the first times actual bipartisan voting happened in the house in the last decade. Where the speaker called for a vote without having an internal consensus within their own party. Crazy, maybe he got news that if he's willing to be a leader of the house and not just kowtow to political terrorism the 200 people he pretends not to see will vote to vacate a motion to remove him as speaker as long as he, get this, acts as the speaker of the house. Not speaker for the howler monkeys.   After Boehner and Ryan quit in disgust and now McCarthy possibly stripped of the gavel, who in their right mind would want the job?(12)>>Yes, ANOTHER SHUTDOWN IS COMING in 45 DAYS !!!. NOVEMBER rolls in and Congress again is at the crossroads , same shenanigans . Geez Louise . . . we just HAD a government shutdown in June, didn't we? We didn't? Okay, that was a near miss. But everyone was predicting a direct strike by an economic asteroid, which would wipe out the USA's credit rating. Because our nation is bad at money. But then . . . in the nick of time . . . President Biden and Kevin McCarthy signed a deal to increase the national debt by Trillions. We were saved from disaster! And this proved that . . . we're actually good at money? A bunch of agencies cut their ratings on US T-Bills anyway. All in all, what a long, strange trip it's been . . . So, what's all this about ANOTHER shutdown? That's what Goldman Sachs predicts. Actually, in this case I kinda do take it seriously. Evidently the US government's budget year ends on September 30th, not on a normal date like you or me, or the companies we work for. And congress is all on summer vacay now, in places like Lahaina and Greece and Australia (It's cooler there, for once). When they – our congress – return, they have to get crackin' IMMEDIATELY on solving the next/new budget crisis. Which is different from, we are told, the June crisis. Goldman's 10 second shutdown overview - Republicans want to spend less, and democrats want to spend more. Got that? Evidently none of this was settled in the June spending limit deal. That was all just a bunch of hooey, and nothing's been fixed. Why doesn't the press ever tell us the truth?Okay . . . I concede that we ARE having fun in the sun like that, right now. And there isn't even a government shutdown yet. Honestly, how much worse could it get?