The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #61801   Message #998735
Posted By: NicoleC
07-Aug-03 - 10:36 PM
Thread Name: Anyone Here for California Governor?
Subject: RE: Anyone Here for California Governor?
Guest -- I can see you're confused, so I'll explain. And if you think I'm being sarcastic, you're absolutely right.

The figures to far right labelled "Expenditure Totals Including Federal Funds" include expenditures of federal funds received in the "Federal Funds" column. Ambiguous label, I know. But it's not state money, it's so-called "federal" money.

The column labelled "Budget" would, of course, relate to the state budget, which is commonly referred to as the California State Budget. For 2002-03, once all the actual revenue -- not the estimated revenue -- was counted up, was $94,664.6 million.

"Bond Funds" relate to investments sold to build infrastructure which eventually have to be paid back by tax revenue. "Bond Funds" also includes numerous items the voters on various Propositions have decided they really want (like clean water, better schools, veterans housing) but are too lazy to actually force the legislature to pay for out of the budget. Of course, the "Budget" column includes interest and investment payments on previous years' bond issues. This is like credit card debt.

"Budget Totals" is reached by totalling the General Fund and State Special Fund revenue (i.e. "Budget") to the Bond revenue (i.e. "Bond Funds.") When you add "Budget Totals" to negative amounts, if any, in the "Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties" column, you get how much the state actually spent in a year of state funds. If the amount in the "Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties" column is positive, it means money that was left over and goes into this special fund for future lean times.

To recap 2002-03:
State budget was $94,664,600,000
Bonds sold for revenue was $14,725,000,000
Shortfall was $5,853,100,000 (You know shortfall, right? It's the amount you didn't mean to spend. Debt.)
Amount spent, of state funds, in 2002-03 was $115,242,700,000

$115,242,700,000 does not equal $134 billion, no matter what "even liberal newspapers are reporting," whomever they may be.
$115,242,700,000 was not the budget, $94,664,600,00 was the budget

There was also federal revenue of $54,566,200,000, of which $54,566,200,000 was spent.