[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

The budget impasse may force child-care agencies across the state to stop providing services to tens of thousands of low-income children according to the LA Times. The shortfall would not only deprive thesechildren of developmental education and meals, but also jeopardize thejobs of thousands of child-care workers and parents. “Feeling a bithelpless” is right.

If that sounds pathetic, the Associated Press has quoted Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata as saying, "We are really governing ourselves like a Third World country."The AP also reminds us that California is one of the world’s largesteconomies, which ought to make this even more embarrassing.

Governor Schwarzenegger has dispatched an undisclosed number of CHP officers to Oakland as part of CalGRIP,a new state anti-gang initiative, according to the Oakland Tribune.Oakland mayor Ron Dellums persuaded the Governor to test the newprogram in the beleaguered city, which has been fighting a recent crimewave. But yeah, guess what...the officers will be paid using overtimefunds, because the forthcoming money for the program is tied up in thestalled state budget.