Is California too big to fail?
California voters rejected a slew of propositions meant to close the Golden State's budget deficit. With so many state and municipal workers, California's like the General Motors of states. But is it too big to fail? Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talks to reporters near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. about his state's budget cuts. (Photo by (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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TEXT OF STORY
Kai Ryssdal: The debate about whether or not California's too big to fail could actually be framed another way if you like: whether it's too dysfunctional to stay out of default. Yesterday, voters here defeated a series of ballot measures that would have helped the state balance its completely out-of-balance budget.
A couple of months ago California's deficit was $40 billion. After much, and I do mean much, back and forth between the governor and state lawmakers, they filled that hole. Only to tell voters two weeks later that they were $15 billion short again. After yesterday's vote, the gap now looks like it's going to be about $21 billion. With nearly half a million state and municipal workers, California is kind of like the General Motors of states. Which gets us back to the original question. Is it too big to... y'know? Marketplace's Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
STACEY VANEK-SMITH: Back during the Internet boom, cash was flowing and California was in a spending frenzy -- cutting taxes, creating programs. Then the boom went bust. And state politicians have spent the last 10 years arguing over whether to plug the budget shortfall with higher taxes or program cuts. Yeah, 10 years. Susan Urahn is the managing director of the Pew Center on the States. She says when the recession hit, things got really bad.
SUSAN URAHN: You have the biggest budget gap right now, you have the fourth highest unemployment rate in the country. Not a lot of discipline on spending. Bad housing crisis.
And a system of ballot initiatives that has let small groups of voters and politicians paralyze California's legislature. Enter a $20 billion budget shortfall.
URAHN: Whether it's tax increases or cuts in programs that are really going to be to the bone, they will balance their budget.
That could mean a shorter school year, releasing 40,000 prisoners and slashing Medicaid. And that has some Californians talking about tapping everybody's favorite new ATM -- the U.S. Treasury. California economist Steven Levy.
STEVEN LEVY: We wouldn't be asking for a bailout, as much as one of the federally guaranteed loans that the federal government is giving to virtually everybody now.
If that doesn't happen, Levy says, Governor Schwarzenegger and lawmakers will somehow have to terminate 10 years of arguing and make some really hard decisions.
LEVY: If there were a terminator, then someone could come in and settle it.
A new Terminator debuts on the big screen this weekend. Unfortunately, he seems preoccupied with killer robots.
In Los Angeles, I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith for Marketplace.
Comments
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From Pelham, NC, 05/21/2009
In my opinion commentators need to be careful of pop culture references in their stories. In Stacey Vanek-Smith's report about California being to big to fail she references the new Terminator movie that has just come out. Her comment of "A new Terminator debuts on the big screen this weekend. Unfortunately, he seems preoccupied with killer robots." shows that she is not a fan of the Terminator movie series as any fan can tell you that the Terminator is the "killer robot" and not the person fighting it.
From Durham, NC, 05/21/2009
I almost got into an accident on my way home when I heard you suggest that the rest of us would have to bail out California. There is a simple solution: raise taxes, cut where it makes sense and sell state landto the private sector ; this will raise revenues. For years, Californians have enjoyed services they could not afford and now just like a struggling homeowner they can't afford the bill.
Just toughen up, find the money and pay the bill.
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