A modest proposal for fiscal misery: Make them hurt in Brentwood
and beyond  Freeways would no longer be free; we'd have toll
roads everywhere. We could close a few prisons and put much
cheaper halfway houses in, say, Bel-Air and Laguna Niguel. And
we'd convert to pay-as-you-go with police, firefighters and
paramedics.  "If you have a $2.5-million budget" for a police
department, "how much does each call cost?" Daly asked. "Let's
figure it out and charge people accordingly."  And let's say
your house is on fire.  "Each call for services would require a
cash payment of $1,000 up front," Daly said. "No checks or
credit cards accepted."  In case you were wondering, no, Daly's
coffee was not spiked. He was sober as a Mormon bishop, and
although he sounded as though he was channeling Jonathan Swift
with his modest proposal, his point was quite coherent.  He's
tired, I'm tired and you're tired of intractability and
political pablum when it comes to California's enduring budget
fiasco.  The state clearly needs to sp