RICHARD RIDER NOTE: In December 2002, I sent the following press release out concerning the California budget deficit, including some solutions. Some things have changed, but most if the piece seems even more germane today.
In spite of all the moaning and groaning in Sacramento, spending this year is 2% higher than last year. No meaningful cuts took place. So I thought I should reissue my piece to again point out that there ARE fiscal strategies that can alleviate the situation without raising taxes.
One minor piece of good news regarding my suggestions. The politicians somewhat adopted my recommendation about increasing public college tuitions. Not enough of an increase, but more than I thought they'd do. Necessity IS the mother of invention.
I left out of this press release the workman's comp crisis, as it is not directly related to the budget. Of course, this government-imposed problem is doing tremendous damage to businesses -- the golden geese the state loves to tax, not to mention their productive employees. So consider reform of that mess included in my suggestions.