THE DEATH THROES OF THE SECOND WAY:

The Golden State's safety net strains: California woes alter social pact (Judy Lin, 6/08/09, ASSOCIATED PRESS)

With empty pockets and maxed-out credit, California is debating whether it can continue honoring all parts of its social contract with the state's most vulnerable residents.

The state faces an unprecedented drop in tax revenue and a widening budget deficit amid the deepest recession in decades, prompting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to propose cost-cutting steps that once seemed unthinkable.

At stake are programs for the poor, elderly and frail, placing millions of people in the nation's most populous state at risk of falling through a decades-old social safety net.

When your model has failed, switch models.

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 8, 2009 6:19 AM