-More idiocy from the people who run our country.
- There's a (new) whole section in newsflashr dedicated to Gold and the Dollar!
- After three months California finally has an approved budget. Some of the ingredients include:
-an elimination of Public Safety Grants (a decrease of $23.9 million, b/c who needs the petty "Rural Crime Prevention," "Methamphetamine Enforcement Teams," "Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement
Teams," etc.).
- An increase of $3.3 million General Fund and $2.5 million special fund to address problems caused by overcrowding in the Sacramento headquarters building. Those poor babies.
- Flavored Malt Beverage Taxation - "regulations that require flavored malt beverages to be taxed at the distilled liquor rate of $3.30 per gallon, as opposed to the beer rate of 20 cents per gallon.
- An increase of $17.1 million Emergency Response Fund via a 2.8% surcharge on all residential and commercial property insurance statewide.
- Comprehensive Healing Arts Board Fingerprinting Program — An increase of $5.8 million to fingerprint and conduct background checks for all licensees of the Department of Consumer Affairs healing arts boards to enhance consumer protection. I have no idea what this is all about.
- I love this...Prop 42 initiated a temporary 1.5% increase in sales tax, but due to "economic conditions" revenues from this proposition have declined since '08.
- An increase of $12 in annual vehicle registration fees.
- An increase of $11 million Motor Vehicle Account for production of
the new driver license/identification/sales person cards that will require a $3 increase
in driver’s license fees.
- $140 million from federal funds in 2008‑09 for local governments to rehabilitate neighborhoods with abandoned or foreclosed homes.
-General Fund expenditures are proposed to decrease by $1.025 billion in 2009‑10, or
3.3 percent, "significant reductions necessary to address the state’s fiscal shortfall" a theme expressed throughout the document.
- A decrease of $50.8 million in 2008‑09 and $668.7 million in 2009‑10 for various eligibility and benefit changes in the Medi‑Cal Program.
Really though, it can't be easy to shrink a $42-billion deficit, can it?
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