Posted on 05/08/2008 8:51:35 AM PDT by SmithL
Geez it is simple...
Tell the unions that they need to cut their pay so they can have money to spend on reducing greenhouse gases to save the endangered spotted owl
The liberals’ heads will explode trying to figure out which side to be on
That sounds like listening to Don Imus' wife lecturing others on how to 'conserve the world' while Imus was sitting in his running limo watching the election returns Tuesday night (he thought it was funny). They are hypocrites.
I cannot speak for California. But I can tell you in the Bible Belt, you see a lot of local governments increasing spending into a declining population, an aging population, and a less affluent population. And that is not a prescription for anything but a train wreck.
“...Going forward, the people of Vallejo are going to have to learn new expectations for their city services
In time, Vallejo’s plight may be contagious.....”
Thanks. I seem to remember some of it now.
Hunter (no Harvard man, he) @ Amaranth blew 6 billion+ in less than 60 days' time. Societe Generale (very few if any Harvard men there, I can guarantee you) blew at least 10 billion in 90 days' time. Nick Leeson blew a few billion in his stint as a rogue trader at Baring's -- the time frame is hard to determine, but it was way under a year, and likely enough under six months, and he was never anywhere near HBS. The Bank of Montreal (which favours McGill grads, not HBS) blew at least 800 million in under a month speccing natgas.
So, while certainly giving HBS grads their due in terms of mismanagement, poor trading, and using dubious mathematical models, one cannot really award them the top...or would that be bottom?...spot.
I hope Fairfield (9 miles north of Vallejo) is paying attention. This is what awaits it if Travis AFB should ever close. Vallejo has also failed to curb gang violence and get a handle on crime, and FF is creeping in the same direction.
There are so many firemen, policemen, teachers making $100K with matching pensions for life, they are always complaining for more. In reality, and historically, these should be lower-paying positions. $100K for a fireman is quite insane, if you think about it.
In the City where I am employed, the PD and FF unions have what is called “interest arbitration” which is the tool they use to drag out negotiations for years before finally getting everything anyway (All other unions get a take it or leave it contract offer). It always comes down to the same ruling that management acted in bad faith...
With OT & incentive pay (fitness, education, bi-lingual, etc) our officers make more than all department heads and a couple make more than the City Manager. They all have an etitlement attitude because they are “out there putting their life on the line”... Couple this with a Chief that does not know how to control his department budget and they put the City $1.5 million in the hole last year...
OBTW both of those unions contracts are up this year even though the FF haven’t settled the original contract offer 3 years ago...
It’s Bush’s fault... and Global Warming...
Vallejo had salaries set at a percentage above average salaries in the area, but the area was defined to include cities such as Palo Alto. They’d also ceded to the fire department the right to determine what appropriate staffing was. When the financial problems became severe, the city shut down two fire stations. The firefighters dragged them into arbitration (maybe similar to the ‘interest arbitration’ you mentioned) and the city was forced to re-open those stations, blowing a million and a half dollar hole in the city budget.
The thing that struck me about the meeting Tuesday, was the exhibition of the same sense of entitlement you mentioned. It was reinforced by sitting through a meeting down here in the south end of the state last night that had a fire staffing issue on the agenda, and also had the same attitude on display.
Fortunately, our local elected officials haven’t been dumb enough to let the public safety unions control the budget, but I’m not sure it isn’t just a matter of time.
Even after the budget problems and over runs in the PD, Council directed staff to see if the unions would forego their 3% COLA to help the budget problems. Basically PD & Fire said HELL NO!!! The union rep for the FD stood before council and whined how if he had to give up his COLA that it would cost him “X” number of dollars in retirement...This guy is all of 30 years old and he had the balls to stand up there and whine about his retirement pay!!! I nearly came out of my chair...
Although my PW works staff was willing to give up the COLA (they figured having a job at their current rate was better than not having a job at all) after hearing the PD & FD they had no choice but to go stand up and take their 3% COLA because they figured they better get all they could before PD and Fire emptied the till...
BTW I lived in Vallejo 67-68 when I was was a little chilren...
For years, Vallejo benefited from Mare Island Naval Shipyard, which was located there (separated by a strait of the Napa River). I was stationed there for five months back in the late 1980s. The base was decommissioned in 1996. The loss of revenue has probably contributed to Vallejo’s downslide, I’d think.
Nothing ominous there.
Criminal incompetence.
Read my tagline.
The state stopped paying for local necessities, so obviously the state is "robbing" local government.
The fire chief makes $400,000 a YEAR!!!
what a bunch of Union Thieves!!!!
As I’ve said before, if you hire a Harvard MBA because you want the title he/she tacks on to his/her name, better be prepared to tack on many, many zeroes to the LOSSES you will no doubt experience.
I wonder how many Harvard MBAs are behind bankrupt Corps.
I’d like to see a List!!!
Got me there!
Bet the geniuses at those overseas financial institutions used Harvard business school models in their corporate planning though!
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