RUSH: Here’s Kevin in San Angelo, Texas. You gotta be going there to get there. You’ll not run into it by accident. Kevin, how are you?
CALLER: Well, I’m doing good, Professor Rush.
RUSH: Thank you, sir.
CALLER: Sir, I’ve got a question for you concerning the state of California. The liberals have been running that state for absolutely as long as I can remember and their state has run into a huge amount of bankruptcy, and it looks like, you know, liberalism needs to answer for itself after all these years. I’m curious what your predictions might be for what we’re going to see here in the state of California in the next month or two and how this relates to what potentially could happen at the federal level —
RUSH: Wait a second.
CALLER: — when Obama policies happen.
RUSH: Wait a second. Did they move San Angelo, Texas, to California when I wasn’t looking.
CALLER: No, no, no, sir. I left the state of California years ago —
RUSH: Oh.
CALLER: — because I saw what was coming.
RUSH: I got you.
CALLER: And I got out of there and went to a place that is much more friendly to fellows like myself.
RUSH: I got you. I understand that. I know a lot of people have been to San Angelo. The Houston Oilers used to train there now and then —
CALLER: Yes, sir.
RUSH: — back when they were in Houston and not in Nashville. Well, California unemployment in May went up to 11.5% percent. Only four states have higher unemployment rate than California. Michigan is at 14.1, Oregon at 12.4, Rhode Island and South Carolina are tied at 12.1%. Now, in May of last year, a year ago, California’s unemployment was 6.8%, it’s now 11.5%. It’s not quite double but close to it.
CALLER: Getting close.
RUSH: What?
CALLER: I said, that’s getting very close. They’re hit the tipping point there the state of California is just again erupt. The people have gotta answer for what they’ve done for as long as I can remember.
RUSH: They’re going to get a bailout. At the end of the day they’re going to get a bailout. Now, everybody right now is saying the right thing about it. They’re saying the right thing. Obama is saying, ‘No, we’re not going to bail ’em out; we can’t bail out the states,’ and Schwarzenegger says, ‘I don’t want the bailout,’ but… (interruption) What, Snerdley? What? (interruption) There’s gonna going to have to be… He’s right. The state’s teetering. The latest thing you people in California, I don’t know if you even know this yet. State lawmakers in California have proposed either cutting drastically or eliminating totally the exemption for every child you get your taxes. It will cost the average taxpayer an additional $214 a year. It’s either $214 a year or $214 a kid. I’m going to have to look this up. I saw this over the weekend or maybe yesterday.
They’re going to get rid of the personal exemption, the state version of the personal exemption. They’re going to be raising taxes out there. (sigh) It’s a Democrat state. They have to keep it a Democrat state. People are leaving that state. They’ve gotta keep it a Democrat state. We’ve essentially bailed out Michigan with the auto company deals. I mean, you could look at that as a quasi, quasi-bailout. So I’m just predicting won’t be long. Maria Shriver… I’ve got this somewhere. Maria Shriver is saying the people in California don’t want any budget cuts. Now, she’s the wife of the governor, and she’s a Kennedy. She’s doing a Colin Powell on us out there. ‘The people of California don’t want their budgets cut.’ By the way, did you hear yesterday? I forget what the subject was. But Obama did it, too. The subject, budget cuts, local communities or something came up and he said, ‘We can’t afford that! Firemen, policemen.’
That’s what they always do. They always tell local communities, ‘If you gotta cut the budget guess who’s going to go first? Firemen and policemen,’ which is absolute poppycock. When you look at education, what are they spending per student in New Jersey? What’s the latest number, 14 grand a student, something like that? Maybe it’s higher than that now. Do you realize 14 grand a student…? Stop and think of this: $14,000 a student. How much of that is in the classroom? We always hear about dilapidated, falling-apart schools. They don’t have textbooks. Where is the money going? For $14,000 a student… If you give me… Let’s say I want to take over and are up as a private business the New Jersey school system. If you give me $14,000 a student, I’m going to limo the students across the George Washington Bridge and the tunnels so they gonna have lunch at 21 every day! I’m going to go hire Harvard professors to teach ’em, and I’m going to have money left over and I’m going to make a profit. At $14,000 a student, and I’m going to keep ’em in class and I’m going to graduate ’em. In some school districts it’s more than $14,000 a student. It’s $20,000 in some districts in New Jersey. The average is $14,000, but imagine $20,000 a student. So, ‘We gotta cut the budget in New Jersey. We gotta cut what firemen and cops!’ Really, at $14,000 a student? I don’t know what they’re paying in California per student but it’s gotta be astronomical.