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What Should Calif. Do With Its Budget Surplus?

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

Comes after three years of harsh deficits.

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After three years of hearing about deficits that neared $60 billion, California has a unique problem this year: a surplus. That’s right, the fiscally-plagued state has a surplus of between $1.2 billion and $4.4 billion. But as welcome as a surplus is, California is thrown into a debate over what to do with the money, since it comes as a result of slashing programs that the Democrats—who are in control of both the statehouse and the governor’s office—normally support. Not only that, but many have remained wary about whether the money is one-time phenomenon, or whether the state budgets should be recalculated to reflect the differences.

Read it at The New York Times