Oh,they should let MJ be buried there. What is the deal with that state?

You think of the Wild Wild West. Don't let the legacy fail.

Although some immigrants are great assets to the U.S., in 2002 alone, according to government data, welfare programs given to legal immigrant families in California cost roughly $6 billion, and illegal families, $850 million! This did not include the costs of education, which averages over $10,000 per child per year in California, or many other social services! Yet Governor Schwarzenegger continues to deny the adverse fiscal impact of mass immigration. I used to prepare amnesty and other immigration applications.

I published an article in the SF Chronicle days after Arnold Schwarzenegger was first elected in November 2003, warning him that he must advocate drastic immigration reduction if he wanted to have a chance to solve California's budget problems. (The more people we have, the more users of social services, therefore additional pressure on government budgets!)

Open border advocates should realize that California's fiscal mess is also adversely impacts them and their families. Decades ago, China already understood that people growth would seriously impede its economic success. It has drastically restricted immigration even for people of Chinese descent. When will American leaders follow suit?

Somebody should ask the govenor why not tax the big oil companies ect, instead of the health and protection of our streets, people and children?

What I don't understand is why I am subsidizing services for illegal aliens. Why is it that we the voters had our tax dollars used to pay for two ballot measures elections that were a total waste of our money and tme. We have to balance our budget our checkbook, but the politicians are too busy taking money from who ever and turning a blind eye to the logic and common sense of math. We have no more. There is no comprimise left to give. We have record unemployment, people filing bankrupty daily and trying not to lose their homes. You can't comprimise your way out of debt. You have to cut the useless spending. The excess is killing us. You can't keep legislating irresponsibilty. I don't care who you are. Forget party politics, if you aren't interested in fiscal responisibilty, the voters will say enough is enough and vote you out of office. Everybody up north is to blame for this, not just the Gov, but Dems and Reps.

Governor- Let the Legislature live on what I have had to the last 2 years.
My income from Feb 2007- today has been ZERO, I get nothing from the State. If I had what one California State Legislator makes in a year I could pay off my debts & pay my needs ahead 10 years.

Please stop blaming the immigrants people for the mess of the last 8 years of the Bush admir. Knowing that big OIL companies were taking granted of their powers, not watching over these BIG banks either. Going into a war under the LIES of Bush and Cheney, YES LIES! Need I say more?

They should have a "Claw-Back Clause" written into law in every state ,never mind just California,to punish double/triple-dippers,outragious pension payouts ,and perks,such as take home vehicals,cost-of-living increases,etc.(police/fire/teachers,and public servants)! Enough,is enough,...

To: Yeh Ling-Ling I completely agree with your post although I've heard the cost to Californians is $11 billion a year and up to supply social programs, medical aid, incarceration and education to illegals. I don't understand why those services are not cut to illegals first.

Regarding the In-Home Services Program, Arnold has proposed that all those who receive funds be fingerprinted. There was suspicion of fraud where the caretaker would apply in various counties under different names to collect money. For some reason the Dems do now want to do that. The entire social system needs to be overhauled. To hear over 70% who are receiving funds not looking for work and just mooching off of taxpayer money is disheartening. I say fingerprint everybody who requests these services and give a strict time limit on how long they receive help whether they find a job or not. The lazy and illegal can no longer live off the backbones of hardworking Americans. We have the highest sales, income, and gas tax in the nation. if our economy collapses, the rest of the country will feel the effects since we fund their social programs as well.

Sounds like California also ought to be sure that benefits from different state programs only go to US citizens and not undocumented workers who probably don't pay taxes to begin with. He could also raise the tax rate on those businesses that hire undocumented workers as well. Both measures should cut back on the deficit.

Yesterday, Gov. Arnold was complaining about massive fraud in home care. Today he says that "this kind of abuse of taxpayer dollars is not rampant." What will his shtick be tomorrow?

All of this talk about fraud and fingerprinting is an attempt to distract Californians from the truth: Our governor does not have the courage to stand up to the anti-tax zealots in his own party by supporting a budget package that requires EVERYONE to sacrifice.

One of the scariest facts is that many other states have failed to pass budgets for the coming fiscal year. Perhaps California is the bell wether state for lack of leadership. It is difficult to know who is the worst- the Governor or the legislature. We cannot wait to pursue long term solutions such as a new constitution. We need leadership now to be doing something, and it might help if CNN were spending more time on important issues than on Michael Jackson. Can CNN please show more journalistic responsibility please? Many important issues related to the economy, Iran, Honduras, and North Korea just dropped off the map. Honduras will be followed by more unrest – maybe Haiti and Guatemala. CNN should be trying to forsee some of these things, not just pander to popular topics at the expense of informing us on more important issues.

GREAT IDEA...

Mr.Cooper I just found out the 500 million people are trying to get tickets to my favorite entertainers funeral MJ... Gov. Mr. Schwarzenegger should jump on this some kind of way....CHARGE $1.00 FOR EACH PERSON this would solve alot of California's money woes..some how channel that money back to the state.....

He did support illegal immigrations. Million wasteful our taxpayer to help illegal immigrations. Cutting off welfare on old people and disable. that is not fair. Why He keep illegal immigration here?
all he fault!

I strong agree with Yeh Ling-Ling.

20 years ago California had regular surpluses. Even after Prop 13 the funds were always available. We spent 10% on infrastructure, down to 6% today.

However, when you grow the government far beyond the population increases, shortages occur eventually. What changed?

Mass immigration, legal and illegal swelled the population from 20 milion 25 years ago to 40 million today. Add the fact that most are low income, tax revenues fell. Public service demands from the imported poor grew. Supreme Court mandates forced the education of illegal alien children at a cost of $10,000 per student, per year. The lack of immigration enforcement created an entire sanctuary state. 30% of imates are illegal aliens at $47,000 per year each costs.

Many successful Californians voted with their feet and left. Entire industries left including areospace. We ended up exporting success while importing poverty.

Only so much water can be squeezed from a stone. We are now out of water too. We are rationed for a small fish in the Sacramento delta.

My hope is this: We already chased out the income producers, now it's time to chase out the poor and illegals. Cut all welfare and all benefits. Then they will migrate to other states. My goal is for 10 to 15 million to leave, permanently.

Then the recovery can begin. But not before.

Why don't they quit giving illegal aliens heathcare, schooling, and free food? It's costing them billions of dollars a year. Send them all back to Mexico and let them come back in the legal way.

If the United States would send all the illegal aliens back to Mexico, there would be enough money to pay for healthcare for our own citizens. The cost of healthcare, schooling, and food given to illegal aliens costs billions upon billions of dollars each year.