Legislature Panel Talks Reform
If it takes a crisis to spark real government reform, California at least has the first part down.
At Thursday’s public hearing for the new Select Committees on Improving State Government, legislators, academics, good government types and various others all agreed that the state has big problems and that the California Legislature right now isn’t part of the solution.
Not to worry. The committee has four more meetings and a little over two months to come up with the answers that will put the Legislature on the road to reform.
It’s a serious effort, though, aimed at a serious problem. A Field Poll taken earlier this month showed that the Legislature’s approval level had plummeted to a record low 13 percent among voters and the annual – or biannual or tri-annual or … — wrangles over the state budget have Californians wondering what the heck they’re getting for the $116,208 a year they’re paying legislators.
Classroom vs. Boardroom: Economic Theory and Reality Collide in California
The 2008-09 budget cycle will long be remembered as a tipping point in California’s economy. But will we learn from it, or will the state repeat mistakes (or make new ones as the case may be) that will continue our long-standing hold on the precipice of economic collapse?
As California stumbled into 2009 having "solved" a budget crisis just three months earlier that proved to be no real solution, the Governor, teaming with the Democratic leadership, formed California’s Commission on the 21st Century Economy, a commission who’s purpose was to evaluate the state’s outdated and volatile tax system in hopes of bringing some measure of reforms, and with it stability to the state’s revenue stream. After 9 months, the final product provides no more answers to the state’s ills than the current system, in fact, creates even more uncertainty and unpredictability. What it does do however, is provide an opportunity for a classic battle between academic economic theory versus boardroom/dining room economic realities.
We applaud the commission for their efforts and contributions to this seemingly herculean task of reforming the state’s tax system. I believe that most everyone understands and agrees with the fundamental need for reform. Unfortunately, that appears to be where the similarities of thought end.
Could Failed Chicago Olympic Bid Bring Gold to Los Angeles?
We may never know the real reasons for Barack Obama’s failure to bring home the gold for Chicago – poor lobbying, anti-Americanism, inadequate venues, or the never-ending drumbeat of let’s blame Bush. The above notwithstanding, few can argue that the issue of geography played a large role. South America had never hosted the Games, Europe will host in 2012, Asia hosted in 2008 and North America has hosted most frequently of all in the past 50 years.
Everything else being equal, it made sense to send the games to a highly competitive attractive South American city such as Rio. Score one for Brazil, 0 for the United States.
Had Chicago won its bid to host the games in 2016, Los Angeles would not have had a legitimate shot in most of our lifetimes. Seriously, if the IOC already thinks the US has hosted too many games in recent years, does anyone really think LA would get to host the games anytime in the early 21st Century had Chicago won the bid?