[speaker001:] here we go Jay
[speaker002:] all right
[speaker001:] uh can you give me your ideas on uh what you think about the budget
[speaker002:] well on the budget I'm not for sure I wouldn't um start off first of all by putting a limit on the members of congress and then maybe we could get some new people in there to work on it but other than the budget I think they just have to uh I don't know I think they have to just have uh maybe um uh almost a like a constitutional convention and get sharp people from all over the country to come together try to decide what we're going to cut I think we cut the wrong areas and and just maybe start all over again almost like family sometimes I have to do this call time out and then
[speaker001:] yeah I guess some of the states had had started started out like uh California I think I think they had is it proposition two and a half they had out there
[speaker002:] um-hum yeah
[speaker001:] and Massachusetts had the same type of of uh legislation you know they only can raise taxes so much there there's a cap on it
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] um
[speaker002:] see down here in Texas they just they don't state they we don't have a state income tax and so they never want to raise taxes so they just raise the fees they just call them fees and there's a fee for everything
[speaker001:] you don't have a state income tax
[speaker002:] we don't have a state income tax and uh there's no uh the sales tax isn't on food
[speaker001:] is that right
[speaker002:] or anything like that so we
[speaker001:] yeah our sales tax isn't either uh it's a
[speaker002:] yeah so we're not taxed very much uh but the fees are pretty pretty ridiculous but I think we just may need to have uh you know get sharp people from all over the country into some sort of a like a constitutional convention and then to say what's working in one place why wouldn't it work someplace else I noticed Bridgeport Connecticut's declared bankruptcy
[speaker001:] yeah isn't that something uh yeah it was just in the paper the last day or two
[speaker002:] yeah yeah so yeah and it happened I think Michigan way back in the late sixties when Soapie Williams was governor they declared bankruptcy the whole state of Michigan so it's
[speaker001:] yeah it's just they're just running um I I don't know about about Texas but I know up around here as soon as uh like Massachusetts well Rhode Island too it doesn't make any difference which state when things get tight they always threaten they're going to cut uh police fire uh they're going to layoff teachers but they
[speaker002:] um-hum right
[speaker001:] it's the rank and file they never talk about cutting at the top you know the administrators and the assistant to the assistant to the assistant
[speaker002:] oh absolutely absolutely absolutely
[speaker001:] and I think the federal government is the same way that it's it's just gotten so huge that I don't think anyone has got a handle on it anymore
[speaker002:] no by leaving
[speaker001:] there's no
[speaker002:] yeah yeah by leaving that particular group in there to make the decisions it's not going change
[speaker001:] huh
[speaker002:] so somebody has to get it to where that it's just a rank and file citizens around the country and and the and like a
[speaker001:] that's right that's true yeah
[speaker002:] like a huge convention you know if they'd send uh so many people from each uh um they could do them they could do them in the state by state and then each state could pick representatives just like they do at uh political conventions
[speaker001:] um yeah
[speaker002:] but you'd what what it would end up it would be the same old people going so
[speaker001:] that's probably there should be uh uh a mandatory limit on on how long you can serve like maybe only two terms
[speaker002:] yeah that's I've always thought that
[speaker001:] and that's if we you know because some of these old boys have been in there for a thousand years
[speaker002:] get in get in there forever and then that seniority system and then the
[speaker001:] yep
[speaker002:] some creep in there and uh so um
[speaker001:] yep yeah it's probably going to have to start there and get some new blood in there and then
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] um maybe they can look at it and they can you know each one of them that's in there now have got their own favorite projects and all you know they're they're cronies and um but I don't think you can do anything I don't think they're I think the budget's out of hand until you can get in there and change the administration and I'm talking about right through from top to bottom
[speaker002:] right I think uh well even at the beginning of the country Alexander Hamilton wanted to put a limit on um the the President was only supposed to serve seven years and they didn't uh they didn't follow through on that but I I've I've thought about a twelve year cap for congressmen and senators and maybe go back to a seven year term for the President sort of you know
[speaker001:] it so it would run
[speaker002:] could you hold one second just a second Ray
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] hello
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] that's all right my wife's a psychologist and I thought that might be somebody calling in for her
[speaker001:] oh I see
[speaker002:] how are things in Massachusetts after Dukakis then
[speaker001:] um Massachusetts Massachusetts is in is in terrible terrible shape
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] they're uh uh they're still talking about uh uh laying laying off a lot of people you know cutting cutting a lot of services um the state is not funding any of the any of the cities and towns so
[speaker002:] yeah yeah
[speaker001:] so the cities and towns now are are forced to go out and uh raise capital uh it's it's uh
[speaker002:] yeah this is Texas is trying
[speaker001:] it's just a bad situation and it's not only there but Rhode Island is the same it's just isn't there you know it's in the same boat
[speaker002:] oh that's crazy because Texas uh it looks like it's trying to bounce back a little bit but it's we've still got a ways to go it's uh I teach in a college and I and I'm in a I'm in pretty good shape but some of these uh there's just a lot of people out of work lot of homeless and the budget is just I don't we've got a new governor democratic democratic governor female and uh she's trying to cutback but she has to be so careful and that's the problem is that you if you come in too fast you can't get reelected
[speaker001:] yeah you know um there's an awful lot of people uh in this country that are idle uh when you say like the homeless and there's the prison population is skyrocketing
[speaker002:] um-hum yes absolutely
[speaker001:] uh I think they should probably go back and borrow some of uh Roosevelt's ideas you know uh set up some of these CCC camps like they had way back
[speaker002:] yes yes but
[speaker001:] um that
[speaker002:] you know give people a little uh dignity because I know a lot of these people would like to work they just don't know how uh to go out and get find a job or they're not skilled or or something and it it doesn't take a lot of skill to rake leaves or do some of those things like those
[speaker001:] that's right they could they could uh they could build roads uh bridges uh uh canals uh there's there's a ton of things they can do we can take in uh they could stop start uh a rapid transit
[speaker002:] right right uh-huh
[speaker001:] movement like when they when they first broke into uh uh the interstate highways
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] uh we don't have a rapid transit system in this country though worth a worth a damn
[speaker002:] no we don't we don't the um we and you mentioned the prison prison population another thing you can do in the budget we've got a lot of people who don't need to be in prison I mean there's some of the lesser crimes anymore probably you don't need to put them away put them in some work program
[speaker001:] that's true right yep
[speaker002:] you know a minimum very minimum security and this they've got a job and you you work uh you know work this long some of them may find that they they like it and want to take it permanently then you could just switch them over in another branch of that and pay them um a decent wage you you'd whatever you'd pay them would be a lot better than having them in jail or having them out on the street
[speaker001:] that's right because I don't know what what it costs per year per inmate
[speaker002:] it's a it's a lot
[speaker001:] but if they just if they just like paid them a wage and let them perform something useful
[speaker002:] yeah