I don’t what is the total of STATE revenues the state of LA anticipates collecting (and spending) for Fiscal Year 2006-07, but I know what the amount ISN’T.
Since the reign of Big Daddy, erroneously information has been circulated by the politicians and bureaucrats regarding how much there is in STATE revenues. Monday, none other than the New York Times erroneously reported that STATE revenues for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is $9.2 BILLION. (See story here .)
Like I said, I don’t know exactly what the amount is, but I know that $9.2 BILLION is wrong. Looking at the state’s own website, one finds that STATE revenues before the newly-found $900+ Million was added, the figure was in excess of $12 BILLION.
What the politicians and bureaucrats do is to mislead the media and thus the public is to cite on the State General Fund revenues. It’s not always an outright lie. In many cases it is a lack of full disclosure. The politicians and bureaucrats get away with it in many case simply due to the failure to ask follow-up questions. They have for years tried to convince us that MOST of the money they spend comes from the Federal Government. I won’t insult your intelligence by explaining the source of Federal Funds.
The “State General Fund” is merely one of several accounts in the LA State Treasury containing money extracted from the pockets of the LA taxpayers. The money in that account is for the most part money which the voters or the legislature have not chosen to dedicate to a particular expenditure item or program. It is, for example, the source of funding for the Not Slush Fund funds.
It would be helpful in eradicating ignorance in LA, if the media would simply stop taking whatever the politicians say as gospel merely because they have a governmental title.
Hopefully, before too many more years, the citizens of LA will get the facts. For those of you would be pleased with the results, until that time, I am not holding my breath.
C.B.
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CB
8:00 am
