So Is California’s Day of Reckoning Here? Finally?

California faces a $25 billion budget deficit over the next 18 months—something has to be done about it now.

Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA)

Governor Jerry Brown (and I still can’t believe I’m writing that without the word “former”) yesterday (Jan. 10) proposed a budget that would close that deficit: $12.5 billion in spending cuts, including wage cuts for State workers of up to 10%; an additional $12 billion in additional taxes and extensions on taxes that were set to expire; and about $2 billion on “other solutions”. Knowing Governor Moonbeam, “other solutions” could be as mundane as trimming costs in various State agencies, or as spectacularly weird as asking for loans from Tralfalmadorians from Sector 9 in Outer Space—neither “solution” would surprise me, knowing good ol’ Jerry.

Gotta give the Governor props, though. Ahnold, for all his “Governator” tough-guy-on-steroids baloney, never bit the bullet on the budget: Schwarzenegger managed to kick the can down the road just long enough until this all fell in his successor’s lap, while he got to skate away scot-free.

So kudos to Jerry, for actually trying to fix the California budget. We’ll have to see if, over the next few days, California legislators get serious and do what has to be done—or if they run crying to the Federal government, which at this point is a distinct possibility.

If that happens, what’s Obama going to do—let California go broke?

. . . hey, uh, wait a minute . . . now there’s a thought . . .