Lord do I hate this motherfucker - Schwarzenegger to seek permanent pay cuts to replace worker furlo

[warrior1]

http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2447041.html

ov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will propose ending furloughs for state workers at the end of June but seek permanent pay cuts and higher employee retirement contributions in their place, administration officials said Thursday.

Those two measures, which require legislative approval, would equal a 10 percent cut in gross pay, compared with a 14 percent reduction that state workers now face with three monthly furlough days. State employees would resume a full workweek in July.

snip

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, called the furlough elimination a "positive step." But he said Schwarzenegger must negotiate any wage cuts or increased retirement costs with the unions. If Schwarzenegger ignores them, Steinberg said the Legislature will block his state worker cuts.

"No unilateral action," Steinberg said. "It not only violates the intent and the spirit of the law governing employment relations in California for public workers, but it also is shortsighted because the very people who aren't being brought to the table are the people with the most knowledge of where to save money."


Thank the dog for the Democrats!

[notesdev]

1. The money has to come from somewhere

Where is it coming from?

There really isn't much place to get it from other than to scale back public employee salaries and benefits.

[Cleita]

6. If he can't get the legislature to increase taxes on those here in

California, who are getting a free ride, then he doesn't have the leadership qualities to be governor. He should have been recalled in his first term. There are tons of foreign investments in this state and they aren't paying the taxes that they should. There is billions of dollars in prime real estate here in California and those multi-millionaire, billionaires and corporations are not paying their fair share of taxes.

[dysfunctional press]

9. the money can only come from where the money is.

taxes have to go up on the wealthiest.

[gorfle]

15. Doesn't California already have astronomical taxes? n/t

.

[Cleita]

20. Yeah, regressive sales taxes are very high, however, property taxes

are very low. If Arnold weren't beholden to money interests, he's missing the mother lode in property taxes. We have some of the richest real estate in the nation and the multi-millionaires and billionaires are getting a practically free ride, John McCain and Warren Buffett for instance.

On edit: Warren Buffett suggested just that to him that there was a gold mine in property taxes to be had and Arnold told him to go do push ups.

[dysfunctional press]

21. i suppose that would depend upon someone's definition of 'astronomical'.

and i don't live there, in any case. :shrug:

but- that doesn't change the fact that the money can only come from where the money is.

sooner or later, something has to give...interesting times lie ahead. :popcorn:

[glitch]

17. How about upping the rates for the oil extraction, STATE resources, which the legislature has passed

and he has vetoed.

Arnie is a stooge, don't buy his spin.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

22. That's not going to come anywhere close to twenty billion dollars.

There is no silver bullet to fix this.

[Joanne98]

2. Actually this is better than eliminating them. I was afraid he would

eliminate jobs in the social service sector and keep the prison job numbers up. That's what the thugs usually do.

[warrior1]

3. Bull shit

I will not except any sort of paycut. He wants to put a permanent hurt on a small group of people instead of spreading the pain across the board. Fuck him.

[OHdem10]

4. At some point, just as the Pay Scale has been lowered in the

Private Sector, the Public Sector will have to slash pay scale.

We are in an adjustment phaze of Globalization. "equalizing
pay and lifestyles around the Globe."

Thank our Free Market Democrats as well as the GOP.

Not defend "Ah--nold" but he and his state are in the
position financially where something must be done.


He is simply giving us a preview of coming attractions.

[warrior1]

5. No

there are ways that California could find solutions. The unions had offer up a ton only to be ignored. One huge solution was Franchise Tax Board go after the people that have not been paying their taxes. Over turn Prop 13. Have state workers do the work instead of outside contractors. And on and on. This is bull shit. State workers in California are barely keeping up with the salaries in the pubic sector. Thank dog this is his last year.

[Cleita]

8. Yeah, I hope Jerry Brown replaces him.

He left a surplus in the budget when he was governor and he will levy taxes on those gluttonously rich people and entities that have been getting a free ride, especially multi-millionaire Darryl Issa, one of the richest members of Congress, who brought us this disastrous governor to begin with.

[diamidue]

23. We will see

Brown used to be pretty fearless, but no telling how time has affected his views; how much power he will actually have; and how dismal the situation truly is in CA.

Right now Arnold will be able to screw the State workers because the economy is so poor that there are tens of thousands of people out of work who would gladly take the place of any of those discontented state employees. Full time work AND benefits? Wow.

I worked for the State of CA for many years - even back when Brown was governor. He actually increased our salary by 11% one year! So I know he has a history of supporting govt. workers. Arnold may cut things. But, who knows. Brown may win the governorship and work to restore those things in the future.

[DefenseLawyer]

7. When cutting taxes has been the only political goal of the last forty years

you eventually have no money.

[UTUSN]

10. K&R big #5 !1 n/t

[crikkett]

11. I voted against impeaching Gray Davis. n/t

[LynneSin]

13. I'm so glad Arh-nuld was able to come in there and clean up Gray's mess.....

:sarcasm:

Basically California got stuck paying millions of dollars to replace one Governor with a Movie star who realized that being famous won't fix that mess.

I know Gray Davis had his issue but it seems like a waste of money that whole recall mess.

[glitch]

18. Not to mention Davis was suing the energy cartel for the $10 billion they stole from the state

which Arnie settled for pennies on the dollar as soon as he got into office.

[crikkett]

12. OTOH I read that S. is open to legalizing & taxing pot.

[8 track mind]

16. that would be an instant revenue generator on many fronts

Think about it:

not only would the taxing of weed generate some healthy cash, think of the business Domino's would get! It's a winner anyway you look at it!

[gratuitous]

14. Sounds like Steinberg knows what he's talking about

Do California reporters understand the concept of negotiations between parties to a contract? I'd bet they do, but they'll pretend they don't so they can float these trial balloons to stir up anger and resentment toward unionized state workers.

Why don't you go cut another commercial, governor?

[Nikki Stone1]

19. The furloughs are illegal and a CA court has said so. So pay cuts are the next step.

It's about destroying the public sector and crushing their unions.