Not One Nickel for California

[bonnie]

December 27, 2009

Not one nickel for California

Ralph Alter

There isn't a single compelling reason to provide the girly-man of American gubernatorial fiscal responsibility, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a nickel from our federal coffers. His failing California remains the poster-child for liberal fiscal insanity and it's time for the free-range chickens to come home to roost.

Investor's Business Daily reports that:

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has an idea: He wants President Obama to give him $8 billion - or else, he says, he'll kill or slash most of the state's welfare programs, cut pay for 200,000 state workers and end two tax breaks for big corporations."

It's clearly time to start killing and slashing. For decades California has enabled its spendthrift legislators, feather-bedding public-sector employee unions and welfare recipients (comprised of both native-born and illegal immigrants) to the tune of a $21 billion annual deficit with no sign of sufficient tax revenue in sight. Meanwhile the confiscatory tax policies and unfriendly business environment of the Granola State continue to hemorrhage both businesses and jobs to more enlightened states.

According to the IBD, California is home to more than 1/3 of the nation's welfare recipients. Their abysmally underperforming schools are home to the 2nd highest paid teachers in America. Despite their utter ineptitude, the state legislators are:

"the country's highest-paid state legislators, pulling down nearly $100,000, with $30,000 in tax-free money for their "expenses" and a state-provided car for their use."

In addition, California is rated 48th out of the 50 states in terms of tax-competitiveness with over $493 billion worth of new tax regulations for businesses since the year 2000. Where is the light at the end of this tunnel?

Why should taxpayers from states like my home state of Indiana chip in to support Californians in the manner to which they have become accustomed? Governor Mitch Daniels has striven to create a climate of encouragement for both new and established businesses here while consistently exercising fiscal restraint. Why should we contribute to ensure expensive gold-plated retirement packages for the "the public employee unions that have systematically looted the public" coffers of California and now come looking for more sensible Americans to fund their fiscal insanity

Let ‘em hit the wall and file bankruptcy. It's time for the insolvent public sector in California to start turning away welfare recipients, closing government offices, and defaulting on public employee union benefits including pensions until they can be renegotiated in the light of fiscal responsibility to all Californians, not just the special pleaders.

[phkrause]

BONNIE

WOW that is interesting how they seem to have all

those hand out programs for all their people

dgrimm60

Yes it is dgrimm, but you have to look at the bigger picture. This has been going on for years, and years, and years, and years, and years, and years, and years, and years. This was already the case when I was living there and it hasn't changed one iota. This guy has no liking for Gov. Arnold. If it were one of the previous Gov. he wouldn't have said one word! As a matter of fact, I believe he never said a word up this this point, has he?

pk

[CyberGuy]

In 2006 the state gave State prison workers a 30 percent pay raise. Now they force them to take three days a month off which amounts to a 25 percent pay cut. When my uncle who works for the prison system as a prison dentist told me that I said. "I am sorry but I am not sympathetic to you since you got a 30 percent pay raise in 2006 and I have taken a five percent pay cut and have not had a raise since 2006."

I think California should just declare bankruptcy and give every state worker a 25 percent pay cut. My brother who works for the state school system says they got a massive pay raise since 2006 far more than inflation. He gets paid about 35 percent more than our teachers in our schools. I think all state workers are overpaid compared to the private sector. The only reason they cannot cut wages is because of Union Contracts. If the state declares bankruptcy they would be out from under those contracts and can cut wages. Do so quickly I say. It would solve a lot of problems.

[phkrause]

In 2006 the state gave State prison workers a 30 percent pay raise. Now they force them to take three days a month off which amounts to a 25 percent pay cut. When my uncle who works for the prison system as a prison dentist told me that I said. "I am sorry but I am not sympathetic to you since you got a 30 percent pay raise in 2006 and I have taken a five percent pay cut and have not had a raise since 2006."

I think California should just declare bankruptcy and give every state worker a 25 percent pay cut. My brother who works for the state school system says they got a massive pay raise since 2006 far more than inflation. He gets paid about 35 percent more than our teachers in our schools. I think all state workers are overpaid compared to the private sector. The only reason they cannot cut wages is because of Union Contracts. If the state declares bankruptcy they would be out from under those contracts and can cut wages. Do so quickly I say. It would solve a lot of problems.

Its amazing how the Unions have destroyed this country, in my opinion. My father when he worked for the butchers Union in NYC, one of the strongest Unions in the country after the truckers union years ago, seemed to be good to there workers but as the years went by they were screwing the workers over and over. They really never cared for the people they were suppose to be helping. They kept getting the workers higher wages but in the end they couldn't control the companies from having to elimanate benefits one by one. And than of course laying workers off because they couldn't afford to pay them anymore.

pk