power in action: Sacramento FAIL

State budget: $42 to $50 billion in the hole, depending on who you believe

Flexibility in spending: near zero due to massive lock-ins

Spending cuts: likely to be enormous in non-protected line items

State bond rating: degraded and heading for sucky

Political process: broken, many politicos no longer feel any responsibility to their constituents and are as captured as can be by special interests

The only bright spot is the upcoming special election. Go vote in it. I'm voting yes on everything but that's an act of blind trust.

I encourage you to vote yes on the proposal to forbid increases in legislative salaries when a budget has not been passed.

Also, if you live in California, call your state legislator!