Another shoe dropping.

[Joe Fields]

States are already clamoring for a piece of the bailout pie. What's the federal government going to do? Conservatives have already put up a battle line defense, saying that they don't want "red" states that have tried to be fiscally responsible to be spending their citizen's tax dollars to bail out "blue" states, like California, with huge budget shortfalls.

According to an article written by Elizabeth McNichol and Iris J. Lav, which was published last month by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a combined budget shortfall of more than 350 billion dollars is estimated for the states by 2011, if nothing is done to inject capital to them. http://www.cbpp.org/9-8-08sfp.htm

As the article states, at least 46 states are facing budget shortfalls, and have obligations that they cannot make good on, like guaranteed state employee pensions, for example.

I do not believe that states can declare bankruptcy. I do not believe that courts would cancel guaranteed contracts for state pensioners. So, what's the answer? It appears that the Obama administration is not going to be able to fund the states, as they had hoped to. Something has to give.

[Incitatus]

1. Here's an idea. They can stop locking up people at a cost of 30K+ a year for smoking marijuana.

The country that claims to be the freest has the highest percentage of its population behind bars. Surely, billions can be saved be reevaluating who we throw behind bars and why.

[lame54]

2. good answer

[grannie4peace]

3. right on!!!

[aquamarina]

5. Here's a few more

1. Legalize and tax all drugs
2. Legalize and tax prostitution
3. Remove tax excempt status on all religions

[Kalyke]

6. Nope on the prostitution.

We should not make money on those who are less fortunate - and anyone who's self esteem would drive them there is less fortunate.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[aquamarina]

10. I don't know - seems like there are quite a few highly paid

calls girls and guys out there who like their job.

[mopinko]

13. if a woman cannot sell her body, does she really own it?

freedom means free to do stupid things.

[Incitatus]

14. Then you would be forcing your moral judgements on others. nt

[ixion]

8. an excellent idea

end the so-called 'war' on drugs, and release all non-violent drug offenders.

[Deja Q]

11. Quite. The dope DEALERS are the problem. Jail them and don't let them loose to make dumb TV shows.

:hide:

[TBF]

15. And we could also stop bombing other countries and spending trillions of dollars

on unnecessary wars. I agree with you about emptying out the prisons as well. Far as I'm concerned, they've locked up the wrong folks. I would suggest locking up a few bank CEO's for starters.

[Andy823]

4. Obama's team

Needs to contact the governors of those red states and tell them their republican members of congress say they don't want the money going to the red states, and then let the governors go after the republicans in congress! If the governors don't want the money either, oh well, just don't give it to them!

[Javaman]

7. Soooo a blue state run by a moron repuke is shit out of luck.

way to stay united repukes.

:rofl:

[SoCalDem]

12. Will those "other" states be sending Californians BACK, all the

money we have "invested" in their wellbeing for all those previous decades??