You will need a big knife to slash $26 billion dollars from your budget!

Go for it Arny Mr. Austrian Republican, let's see what you can do to slash the budget by $26 billion. Good luck with the suggestions people send you.




The governor posted a video to his Twitter account in which he is seen holding and admiring a large hunting knife.

In the video the governor thanks Californians for all the great ideas his office has been receiving about how to fix California’s budget crisis.

“Hey, guys, I just want to say thanks for all the great ideas you’ve given me. ... I love your ideas, give me more of those ideas, we need it,” Schwarzenegger said.

One of the brilliant ideas Schwarzenegger mentions he received was to sign state cars and sell them since he is not only governor, but a famous actor. The autographs may increase the value of those vehicles!

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/07/22/2009-07-22_california_gov_arnold_schwarzenegger_says_thanks_for_ideas_to_fix_budget_crisis.html#ixzz0M41v4mQs

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/07/22/2009-07-22_california_gov_arnold_schwarzenegger_says_thanks_for_ideas_to_fix_budget_crisis.html

Healthcare

Welcome to the civilized world America!
It's a start. A weak start, but a start.

"America's Affordable Health Choices Act" (1000 page PDF):
http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf

I am very pleased to hear they are adding in some serious consumer protections:
http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/AAHCA-CONSUMERPROTECTIONSINSURANCEREFORMS-071409.pdf

• Out-of-pocket can't exceed 5k (individual) or 10k (family) per year to prevent bankruptcies from medical expenses

• Insurers can only drop coverage in cases of fraud

• Insurers can't exclude/deny coverage because of preexisting conditions

• Insurers won't be able to charge different rates based on gender, health status or occupation

• Age can only affect rates by a certain margin (rate ratio is limited to 2:1 band)

It's about damn time. Let's see how much of this bill survives until it's all done and the whole thing goes into effect.

http://www.metafilter.com/83259/It-Begins

Arnold Bucks! IOU Crisis in California

This is just unbelievable!
California is printing IOU money!
(over $3.3 billion dollars already!)
...but not for much longer!


More info here: http://www.couragecampaign.org


-

IOU time

"That's as good as money sir. Those are I.O.U.s"
Dumb & Dumber

Bank of America said it will accept IOUs from existing customers until July 10, with no dollar limits. Wells Fargo and Bank of the West have not yet decided whether to accept them.

Wow.... so what happens after July 10th? (I wonder...?)

Read on:

California plans to begin issuing billions of dollars in IOUs today to scores of creditors, including private businesses and county governments.

Bank of America said it will accept IOUs from existing customers until July 10, with no dollar limits. Wells Fargo and Bank of the West have not yet decided whether to accept them. About 19 California credit unions will accept the IOUs, including Chabot in Dublin, Contra Costa in Martinez, SRI in Menlo Park, Provident in Redwood City, San Francisco in San Francisco and Kaiperm Diablo in Walnut Creek."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/02/MN3E18HI04.DTL&tsp=1&ref=patrick.net
--

California's Judgment day

It seems many people are living a life style set not only beyond their own means, but beyond the means of this earth. If we start to look at patterns around the world, it seems the biggest sign of madness was relying on false speculation to support a life style that is unsustainable.

Well.... it seems like a movie (but apparently it is real life) it looks like California's Judgment day will be August 1st 2009.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) California nears financial "meltdown" as revenues tumble

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE55974820090611


What is happening bloggers?
Tell us your stories... Comments open here!

No more Hummers

Wow, things are changing fast.... So many layoffs, people moving away from California. It is becoming noticeable although the bitter-sweet story is there will no longer be HUMMERS made, following the formal bankruptcy filing of General Motors today. These cars are huge and dangerous on the roads.





http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/31/business/main5052840.shtml?tag=breakingnews

Remember these tshirts?

Well, here is more good news:

Now, four months into his presidency, Obama has elevated energy and climate issues to near the top of his agenda; he has made them pop by packaging them as ways to create "green" jobs and reduce U.S. dependence on imports of foreign oil. Favoring pragmatism over moral suasion, the president is attempting to make a sharp shift in national policy on an issue that many voters have yet to embrace as a priority, advisers and lawmakers say.

His efforts, combined with those of congressional Democrats, have already pushed forward groundbreaking initiatives. February's stimulus act lavished money on projects for renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy research. This month, the White House announced that it had negotiated corporate, state and environmentalist support for higher fuel-efficiency and tailpipe-emissions standards that would clamp the first nationwide limits on greenhouse gases.

Finally, the House Energy and Commerce Committee on May 21 approved a bill that would take a cap-and-trade approach to curtailing greenhouse gas emissions, inching closer to a domestic legislative compromise that has eluded climate activists for the dozen years since the adoption of the international Kyoto accords.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/30/AR2009053002068.html?hpid=topnews

Blogging can be for everone!

Here is a fine example showing how bloggers can contribute and influence the world we live in ;- )
I am blogging about this so if you are reading this, I say, 'how cool is that?' :)
You just learned it is cool to have your say and blog it out ;)