Everything in California is San Andreas' fault.

Now you are talking about a permanent problem. Very few of the "entitled" class appreciate the sacrifices others make so they can have their hand-out.

Usually, a temporary solution means it is a permanent problem. If there is a permanent solution, it would be a temporary problem.

I was wondering, has anyone that is on government subsidies taken a "pay cut"? No, because there would be public out cry! The majority of the working class has. I am not suggesting that these programs should not be eliminated, but since there is a "budget shortfall" there needs to be cuts made.

To the contrary, the government should quit making them poor. How much of the money government takes in makes it to those worthy causes? How does that compare to performance of charities and other NGOs?

My cognomen is disturbing? You don't like cryptic crosswords?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Powys_Mathers

Perhaps you were thinking of Tomás de Torquemada (1420-1498), prominent leader of the Spanish Inquisition. You get an "A" for knowledge of history.

By the way, the Roman Empire is having a temporary problem. All problems are temporary.

Yeah. Poor people should totally just learn to stop being poor, right? And kids don't actually need to eat. And while we're at it, why don't we ditch all the social programs propping up those unproductive losers, like public schools and police departments. Valuable people can afford private schools and security, can't they?

California is not falling apart. It's having a temporary problem the way that the whole country is having a temporary problem. Things are bad all over.

Not that I approve of deficit spending in the long run, because it means that more and more tax dollars are paying for interest (which benefits private individuals) instead of paying for services that benefit society. But in the short run, at times like this, you work with what you've got. People really need to get some perspective. It's not a collapse of society, it's a budget shortfall.

And I'm really, really hoping here that Torquemada is your real surname, as unlikely as that is, because otherwise your choice of cognomen is incredibly disturbing.

The Federal deficit is about 10 times California's deficit on a per capita basis. California has exhausted all sources of money and is being forced to make deep spending cuts. That means disappointment in a society that wants government to provide for all their wants.

How will they react? I don't know but it will be indicative of the reaction throughout the country when the Federal government can no longer finance its deficits.