Article - Arizona, Nevada, New York All Have Higher Percentage Budget Deficits Than California (Los Angeles: sales)

[FresnoFacts]

Interesting article in today's LA Times.

The included chart compared the percentage of the 2010 deficits to their 2009 overall state budgets.

The summary:
Nevada 31.7% deficit for 2010
Arizona 29.8% deficit
New York 29.0% deficit
California 26.1% deficit

The full chart of the 10 states with the worse deficits is at:
Dire deficits

The body of the article had some interesting quotes about other states, including Arizona.

"Arizona's predicament has been made more difficult because voter initiatives here (as in California) mandate how one-third of the state's money must be spent. The only way to raise taxes is through a practically unobtainable two-thirds majority in the Legislature or via a simple majority at the ballot box."

Interestingly, other states are dealing with in-fighting between members of the same party. Arizona has a Republican governor AND a Republican majority in its legislature. But they have still had a hard time agreeing on a budget.

Elsewhere:

"In Illinois, the Democratic-led Legislature is balking at approving Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed 50% increase to the state income tax. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, has threatened to veto a 25% sales tax hike that the Democratic Legislature proposed to help close its deficit."
Arizona's budget war is a GOP standoff - Los Angeles Times

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by FresnoFacts

"Arizona's predicament has been made more difficult because voter initiatives here (as in California) mandate how one-third of the state's money must be spent. The only way to raise taxes is through a practically unobtainable two-thirds majority in the Legislature or via a simple majority at the ballot box."

Interestingly, other states are dealing with in-fighting between members of the same party. Arizona has a Republican governor AND a Republican majority in its legislature. But they have still had a hard time agreeing on a budget.

Elsewhere:

"In Illinois, the Democratic-led Legislature is balking at approving Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed 50% increase to the state income tax. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, has threatened to veto a 25% sales tax hike that the Democratic Legislature proposed to help close its deficit."
Arizona's budget war is a GOP standoff - Los Angeles Times

Time for a viable third party and/or an open primary and general election system in California coupled with the end of the initiative process which has resulted in mandatory categorical spending of over half the state's budget.

[drshang]

California has the most publicized budget problem, but many, many states have problems that are nearly as bad. What's kind of sad though is a lot of states are "solving" the budget problems with accounting tricks, but next year's budget will probably be just as bad and they will have ran out of accounting tricks.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by drshang

What's kind of sad though is a lot of states are "solving" the budget problems with accounting tricks, but next year's budget will probably be just as bad and they will have ran out of accounting tricks.

Oh, I dunno about runnin' outta tricks. California's been using them for well over a decade at least.