MP3 hotfile.com In the first half of the program, monetary historian Andy Gause joined Ian Punnett to discuss the serious ramifications if states start filing for bankruptcy protection. According to Gause, many states have unfunded pension obligations that they are legally required to pay but have no way of meeting. California, for example, owes half a trillion dollars to its public servants. The state may choose to increase the tax burden on its residents or possibly seek to restructure this debt through bankruptcy, he explained. Municipalities such as Vallejo, CA, which recently emerged from bankruptcy, may set a precedent for state-level bankruptcy, Gause suggested. And a real threat of bankruptcy could compel the federal government to step in with a bailout. “I think you’re going to see a bit of an abdication of sovereignty by the states in exchange for bailout-type deals,” he added. Fiscally troubled states may also look to help from large private investors who, flush with low interest loan money from the Federal Reserve, could go in and buy up their public assets (garages, airports, turnpikes, etc), Gause continued. This has already happened in Arizona, where the state sold off its capitol buildings (to an investment group from whom they now rent) in order to pay off debt obligations. For some states, even selling all of their infrastructure projects may not be enough. Massachusetts, for instance, is sinking under the enormous and continuing financial burden of its …

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