Sir;...You suddenly seem wise beyond your many years... California is broke... But they will not tax the rich and dare not rob the poor.... They are not alone...Most of our states are in similar straits...So what shall they do??? Should they surrender their charters??? California is big enough to make two states... Would one be viable??? Would one be stillborn??? And what of all the other states...If they did not have to support their populations, would they be viable??? The country can always support itself, but can it support all those dispossed of property and jobs???? If the U.S. Government could not print money; they would be in deep despair...We are California writ large... We do not have the courage to tax those with the money, and those without the money have absolutely nothing more to give to this society...They are in a position of need because their ability to supply even their own needs has been put in the hands of strangers...Their support is not considered as their right to their share of the commonwealth; but by the dirty word of entitlement... And they are entitled...Every society has to support her aged and children...No matter how much the land is privatized it must still support the population...It is a dangerous game the rich play...They refuse to support the society that defends them...So the society should quit defending them... Cut off the welfare checks, and tell the poor to go, and get it from the rich... Until the ammo runs out there will be a blood bath...All those people put in prison to defend property rights should be cut lose...Tell those people to go and get justice from the rich, and have as much as they would like...The rich clearly do not understand how much they cost the rest of us, and how it seems when they will not pay their share... So the question I would ask is: If the states will not find the courage to tax the rich, and the federal government cannot find the courage to tax the rich; then why are we paying for their support...If we are in this alone; let's can those dead beats, and take the productive capacity of the country over for our benefit... To deny us support, and the means of support means we will be slaves if we will survive at all... Well; slavery is not an option...Now, it is time redistribute property, and to change the rules back to what they once were...We are reaching the point where it must be now or never... We have only heard the first shoe of this depression drop, and unless we take over, it will not get better...I don't care about the rich and their private armies...I know they will nuke us before they will give us justice...The only question I have is whether we will take this land legally, or without bothering...Thanks...Sweeney

Pat, is it possible that at some future point in time that we will make the full circle and people will return to their ancestral nations . DJ

Re: Daniel Johnson;... The Native Americans are fortunate they are not extinct; but they are not that lucky... Can you get over this pencil neck??? He cries about the the thirty percent amnestied from taxes, and the one percent who pay forty percent of the taxes....That is not fair...I am sure the thirty percent would give up their poverty in a heartbeat for a chance to pay taxes... The rich would not give up their wealth if they had to pay ninty percent of the taxes.... The constitution this country began with taxed property, so that the wealth of this country supported the government... When this nation accepted the income tax they did so to soak the rich, because only 11 to 13% were eligible for the tax...But that tax has been leveled on the majority to bleed all people with any money, so that the poor pay more of the cost of the government than the richest one percent -who take home 90% of the wealth...Mr. B cries for the rich... His tears are misassigned... Taxes have robbed the wealth out of the pockets of the poor, and allowed the rich who were to support their government to keep more and more of the wealth...So what if they have made the rule to suit themselves, and allowed them to corner the wealth of the nation??? Regardless, the nation has still got to support all its people...Drive a farmer off his land, or drive a worker out of his job, and the job still must support them... If you try to deny them by law, the law will be meaningless...The only solution for the rich is to turn the army against the people, but even there they cannot expect the people to pay for their own elimination... Sooner or later the rich will have to pay... They will either pay their fair share, or they will pay all they own...Now it is their choice, and they should choose well...Thanks...Sweeney

Pat your editorial is so off base that it is ridiculous. California's problems stem from the inability of lawmakers to raise taxes without a 2/3 majority in the legislator. We suffer from a decline in taxable goods in sales tax as services are not taxed, a huge unemployment rate due to the housing bubble and many other issues effecting taxes and economics unrelated to taxation. We had the greatest median home price so of course when the housing bubble bursts we stand to lose considerable amounts of taxes and work. California has a budget around 130 billion to service its citizens of nearly 36 million and we do this in spite of having only 3/4 of our federal tax dollars returning to the state it was earned in. The characterization in your article of diversity as a hindrance to the good society is offensive at best and racist at worst. We should entrust our legislators to make fiscal policy but instead we as voters have been passing for expenditures through bonds. This was warped in your article too as you insinuated that the movement came from our elected official and not the direct democracy of the people. I get the distinct feeling you wish us to fail but I as a proud Mexican Californian will see to the day that you will eat your words once more. The Golden State will solve the the issues of governing over a truly heterogeneous society and we will do it by show America that social democracy is where the future truly lies. In the meantime remember where your federal tax dollars come from and if you want to save us get those lazy middle states to get a job and pay their own way in the union.