As the U.S. ponders what ultimate course of action to take on immigration policy, perhaps it can take a lesson from its neighbors across the pond who have grappled with imposing an immigration cap next year.
The Golden State's July 2010 unemployment numbers came out in a report by California's Employment Development Department Friday, and they don't look good.
There’s a very real unraveling of the “rules of the road” these days, and it’s likely to cause a re-assessment of many aspects of our lives. Among the symbols of this deconstruction of society as we have known it are the housing bust and its resultant reduction in local and regional tax revenues, the prospects of de-inflation and the imposition of minimum wage on thousands of state
Unbelievably, California is not only facing a $20 billion deficit for the 2010-2011 budget, the state Employment Development Department just forecasted a $20 billion deficit in the Unemployment Insurance Fund by the end of 2011, up from $6.2 billion in 2009.
With less than a year left in his term, and a rather dubious set of credentials trailing his exit from politics, Governor Schwarzenegger could be forgiven for laying low.
The California Jobs Initiative has submitted over 800,000 signatures, more than twice as many as needed to be on the ballot in November. It seeks, in effect, to overturn the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32) by suspending it unless California unemployment is less than 5.5% for four consecutive quarters, something which rarely happens.
A significant – and often overlooked -- result of what’s been dubbed the Great Recession is that in just over half of the 50 states, the programs that pay unemployment insurance to workers who’ve lost their jobs are insolvent, leading states to borrow more than $39 billion from the federal government to keep writing checks.
California’s effort to fight global warming may be caught on the horns of a dilemma. While the state (and especially Governor Schwarzenegger) wants to lead the nation in all things green, the matter of poor economic conditions and high unemployment has become an unexpected roadblock.
The independent and nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) in Sacramento says there will be some economic disruption and higher energy costs if the 2006 climate change law is implemented. Senator Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto), an opponent of the law, requested the analysis and accurately sums up its key findings.
