Texas vs. California Update for October 8, 2013

With budget issues occupying the nation, now’s time yet again to compare Texas’ successful Red State model with California’s failing Blue State model:

  • Like Detroit’s retirement fund (or Greek public servants), some retired Sacramento government employees were evidently used to receiving thirteen monthly checks a year. Now a federal judge has said enough.
  • People Stockton’s bankruptcy plan screws: creditors and taxpayers. And who won’t be required to take a haircut? CalPERS retirees.
  • Vallejo took much the same tack during their bankruptcy (higher taxes and no pension reform). Well, guess what? They’re broke again.
  • CalPERS isn’t the only underfunded California retirement system. There’s also CalSTRS, the teacher’s retirement system. “CalSTRS’ funding ratio falling to 67% in 2012 from 98% in 2001, well below the 80% considered fiscally sound.”
  • That might have something to do with the fact that 6,609 retirees receive more than $100,000 from CalSTARS annually.
  • CalPERS? 12,1999 receive more than $100,000 annually. Topped by Bruce Malkenhorst, of the corrupt city of Vernon, who pulled in more than a half-million annually, until the pension review board cut it back to a “mere” $115,000.
  • Big problems still loom for CalPERS.
  • “Regardless of what happens in bankruptcy court, California’s local governments, especially cities, are facing years, or even decades, of fiscal distress from rapidly rising pension costs.”
  • Marian County’s pension debt clocks in at a hefty $2.3 billion.
  • The California State Auditor’s own report can be read here:

    We believe the State continues to face eight other significant high-risk issues: the state budget, funding for the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, funding retiree health benefits for state employees, funding for deteriorating infrastructure, ensuring a stable supply of electricity, workforce and succession planning, strengthening emergency preparedness, and providing effective oversight of the State’s information technology.

  • California’s new feudalism. “Like medieval serfs, increasing numbers of Californians are downwardly mobile, and doing worse than their parents.”
  • The 10 year anniversary of the Gray Davis recall. “We learned that the problem wasn’t just Davis and that simply changing who is governor wasn’t enough to make California government work. Schwarzenegger wasn’t a bad governor, but he failed to solve the state’s basic budget problems.”
  • With a wave of people signing up for ObamaCare, what is California to do? Why, obviously, cut Medicaid payouts!
  • Attention illegal aliens: Go to California if you want a driver’s license.
  • Al Jazeera headline: Tea party makes California inroads. Actual story: “For the first time, the tea party’s California caucus has a table at the state’s Republican fall convention.” That’s less an “inroad” than an “in-driveway”…
  • Rick Perry to California: “We don’t judge success on the number of people we have on public assistance.”
  • “Texas’ unemployment rate has now been lower than the national average, and California’s, for 80 consecutive months.”
  • Texas now has the best credit rating in the world.
  • “The Rainy Day Funds of Texas and Alaska alone are now larger than the stabilization funds of all other states combined.”
  • USAA is expanding in Plano.
  • 500 Republicans moving to Texas every day?
  • In non-political, Halloween-related California news, it’s tarantula mating season in California. Just in case you needed another reason to leave California…
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    One Response to “Texas vs. California Update for October 8, 2013”

    1. Dwight Brown says:

      How DO tarantulas mate?

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