Here's your chance to suggest ways to control wasteful state spending

Identifying waste, fraud, and abuse is unlikely to close the budget deficit, so I see little value in going through the exercise. Besides, it will never be wrung out of the system, as these have been characteristics of government since the dawn of time.

The issue comes down to what can we afford with the amount of revenue generated in the state. To that end, I'd suggest the following:

1. The first duty of state government is to provide necessary services to its legal residents. While the notion of "necessary" is debatable by rationale people, the concept of serving its legal residents is pretty clear. Therefore, eliminate funding for all sevices (social services, education, etc.) to illegal aliens funded by the state. I've read that providing services to this group costs $10-12 billion per year. Due to the structuring of state government we can probably only reduce this cost by 75% or so. The balance will come after "the system" is re-structured to serve legal residents only.

2. Cut every budget by 10%. Most of this will be accomplished by freezing spending at current levels. Some areas will actually incur a reduction in year-to-year spending, but a 10% cut in any budget (governmental or nongovernmental) will not preclude an organization from meeting its core purpose.

3. Integrate the spending in the Medi-Cal program with Medicare funds used to serve Medi-Cal recipients into a single funding stream and contract with a managed care organization to manage care delivery of everything from home delivered meals for the elderly to open heart surgery. This was attempted a few years ago and had broad acceptance in the industry, but was opposed by the government employee unions (most notably SEIU) over "turf" concerns and died in the legislature.

4. Pass a schedule for rolling back tax rates on sales and income, freeze every other source of non-tax revenue at current levels. Reducing tax rates results in more tax revenue whenever it's been tried. This will send a signal to the business community that California intends to become business friendly and perhaps the exodus from California will cease. We should try to feed the goose that lays the golden egg, rather than deciding how to butcher it.

5. Open more of the California coast (at least double the current level) to oil exploration and development and tax the oil extracted at a rate of no more than 0.5% and freeze the rate for 50 years. Most businesses will accept a tax rate increase that would be smaller than the potential earnings from an expanding market.

I think these would be great starting points that would lead to a stronger budget and more prosperous state. Besides, we simply don't have the money to continue as we are.

We know bloggers periodically sit at their computers. How many of you have gone to the website and offered some solutions? We whine about being heard... this is another chance to maybe make an impact. Don't pass it up complaining it's not good enough. Even baby steps can take you forward.

I called up the local public radio station (KVPR, an NPR affiliate) to make a suggestion that they thank taxpayers for the contribution made by them in government grants. I'm told how small that amount is but shortly after I hear one of the announcers for donations present the idea on air. Now I can't remember exactly what was said, but it got translated into standard liberal ridicule, real quick. Something like: Tell us about the caller who wants us to thank him for the contribution to us from his taxes. So I called back and asked about their choice of phrase. My question was why couldn't he just honor the request as made. No real answer but he challenged me to be couragious and argue some points about the bias of their national news on his current affairs program. I told him I would think about it, but that I didn't believe couragious was quite the right term for such an acceptance to his challenge, and that I was famliar its meaning. He laughed when I suggested that they pay us for listening to that garbage, my guess is that he thought I was joking. Just an example of what happens when you trust a liberal with a reasonable idea. I told him he was underestimating the capital such a thank-you may generate for the station. He offered no response. I was before the spin thinking of contributing because other than the pure news propaganda they distribute, some of the programs are interesting to me. It is too bad that there seems to be a threshhold amount of our taxes that it requires for a simple thanks by these guys. Under all that tactile massage for the donation is an arrogance I have come to detest, yes it is time for change.

KLK42:I think your suggestions were all valid. Possibly a few more to consider. I think our prison system is all wrong. I think it should be based more like the one in Arizona with our famous sheriff. They do not need AC, TV's. weight rooms, etc. Give them the ability to have basic shelter and grow their own food. Lower risk inmates could clean parks, highways, etc.

On the way to work this morning I heard a law group advertising how you could avoid liquidating your assets for Medi-Cal. This should not be legal. No one promised their heirs the right to inherit property, assets, etc. Before they start drawing off the public for nursing homes, etc, they should have to use all their funds.

In these lean budget times how about juvenile offenders, welfare receipients, etc. get out there and do somethings to help. Once again be it cleaning streets, neighborhood parks, there are things that can be done to help the community.

You see these commercials on TV about how some law firm negotiated a settlement on taxes. Why is this being done? Seems to me if you owe it, you have to pay it.

First it is imperative that during the next election that we vote out every single incumbent. somehow we have seemed to vote in officials who all posses compulsive spending disorder. Our budget troubles will not change by electing a new governor. Our current regime has also decided that our votes don’t matter. Example: the tobacco tax that was voted down by taxpayers it was incanted any way. Another example is the gay marriage issue. Although I disagree with a gay marriage ban (the government should not be in the business of who we have sex with) the people were in favor of the ban yet the ca government decided our votes again do not matter. The people then got prop 8 on the ballot and proved that they were against gay marriage. Our state government is working on a way to lift our ban once again. this is tyranny pure and simple. So I believe the first step toward putting California back in the hands of the people is to remove these politicians that seem to think the will of the people doesn’t matter. I think if the state feels our vote doesn’t matter how can we expect them to feel that our money matters. To me Conan’s website is a joke and a way to make people think that their opinion matters. However the state has made it perfectly clear that it doesn’t.

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government._Thomas Jefferson.