Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Cities Are Getting Restless

Yes the cities are getting restless - in California.

More than 180 California cities have passed resolutions threatening to sue the state if lawmakers approve a budget plan that would seize $4.7 billion in local funds to help close the state’s massive deficit, according to the League of California Cities.

Judy Mitchell, mayor of Rolling Hills Estates and president of the League of California Cities, described the budget proposal as a “ponzi scheme that passes off responsibility to future governors, legislators and to our taxpayers.”

The plan announced Monday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders uses a variety of means to essentially shift part of the state’s $26.3-billion budget deficit to city and county governments. The prospect of losing $313 million in redevelopment funds and $109 million in gasoline taxes prompted the lawsuit threat from Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday. The cities and league would join the L.A. County lawsuit.
I think this may be a trial balloon for the Federal Government.

The Declaration of Independence had a few words on the subject.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
It seems as if the serfs are starting to stand up. Revolution is in the wind. By ballot if that can be done. By other means if not.

3 comments:

LarryD said...

I believe it was Margret Thatcher who said "the problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money."

California is the first blue state that has finally run out of other peoples money.

But not the last, thanks to the public employee pension issue.

And the recession, with a ~30% drop in Federal revenue, combined with the deficit spending that makes the Bush administration look mild by comparison, and the coming ever sooner crunch from Social Security, means the Federal Government will have to face up to limits in the not to distant future.

Even if the recession doesn't turn into a depression.

Anonymous said...

Whether polywell succeeds in becoming a commerical energy source or not won't stop the collapse from depletion of oil and coal. Neither will its success or failure prevent the looming phosphate depletion which will cause starvation on a scale not yet seen before: billlions are to die in one more generation.

linearthinker said...

...billlions are to die in one more generation.

Channeling the astronomer chap, are we?

Relax, Kodachrome.

Phosphorus is the eleventh most abundant element in the lithosphere...

...To illustrate the complexity of these assessments, USGS data is used where reserves are defined as those commercially exploitable at a cost of less than $35/tonne. Supposing a cost of around $60/tonne, this would more than double the available commercial phosphate deposits in the USA. It is reasonable to assume a similar situation in other phosphate producing countries, using USGS assumptions. Consequently, with an eventual increase in price for phosphate, a reclassification of some resources to reserves would be the outcome
.

link

As for energy, the US has a domestic supply of coal and oil adequate for 200 years at present rates of use. More than enough time to bring polywell or proven nuclear technology on line to alleviate the pending reductions in fossile fuels.