All right, class, it's time to see how much attention you have been paying to the state's budget crisis. Please answer the following questions.
1. The current estimate for the state budget deficit between now and June 30 is:
(a) $1.2 billion
(b) $2.1 billion
(c) $11.2 billion
(d) $113 billion or the California Correctional Peace Officers Association's political action fund, whichever is larger
2. To make up this deficit without taxes, the state would have to:
(a) Close all state universities Jan. 1
(b) Close all state prisons Jan. 1
(c) Beat up kids on the school bus and steal their lunch money
(d) Kick disabled people out on the street
(e) Rescind pay raises for legislative employees
(f) Garnish state Sen. Nicole Parra's Las Vegas winnings
(g) (a) and (b)
3. If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had not rolled back the Vehicle License Fee (also known as the Widely Loathed Car Tax), the state's deficit for the year ending June 30 would be:
(a) $7.3 billion
(b) $17.3 billion
(c) Bigger than Don Perata's defense fund
4. Many local governments are also in financial trouble because:
(a) President Bush took all their money and sent it to Halliburton.
(b) The economic downturn has eaten into their tax revenues.
(c) Gov. Schwarzenegger took all their money and spent it on shoes.
(d) They gave public employee unions more pension benefits than they could afford.
5. If all goes according to plan, the state will be back in the black by:
(a) 2012
(b) 2020
(c) The time your grandchildren have grandchildren or the time the Legislature passes a budget, whichever comes first.
(d) Plan? You mean somebody's actually got a plan?
6. Assembly Speaker Karen Bass wants the federal government to give the state enough money to pay half the deficit, because:
(a) We deserve it.
(b) We really, really deserve it.
(c) We really, really deserve it, and the state voted for Obama.
(c) We really, really deserve it and the state voted for Obama and, um, we really, really deserve it.
7. Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines is against any tax increase and won't say how he would cut spending because:
(a) He doesn't want to, and Speaker Bass can't make him, so there.
(b) This state isn't in a financial crisis. Sheesh! Next those liberals will be telling us the sun doesn't go around the earth.
(c) He has always wanted to see what would happen if we closed all the universities and prisons.
8. Darrell Steinberg has been president pro tem of the Senate for less than a week, and he already has:
(a) Got this budget thing whipped.
(b) Gotten tired of hearing his Republican colleagues say, "If you're so smart, how come you haven't got this budget thing whipped yet?"
(c) Decided that being president pro tem was one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time.
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