Posted on 06/10/2006 9:22:07 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
For years, Sacramento wags have joked about “state Sen. Rudy Bermudez, D-California Correctional Peace Officers Association,” because the only thing the Norwalk lawmaker seems to care about is propping up the pay and benefits of prison guards. Given what happened this week in the Legislature, it is now just as proper to think of Sens. Don Perata, Debra Bowen and Gil Cedillo as being “D-California Teachers Association” – because their primary allegiance obviously isn't to Californians in general.
This week Perata, Bowen and Cedillo killed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's nomination of David Crane, a highly regarded San Francisco financier, to the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) board. The reason? “The three Democrats on the five-member Senate (Rules Committee) agreed that Crane seemed too concerned about the burden of pension shortfalls on taxpayers,” according to a published report.
Well, at least they made their priorities clear.
This is beyond disgraceful. While it is in better shape than some government pension plans, CalSTRS faces a long-term funding gap of at least $20 billion. Every time a new idea is floated to reduce this gap – basing retirement benefits on a worker's three best-paid years, not his single best year; creating a two-tier system slightly less generous to new hires; changing formulas that allow for mini-pension spikes tied to such factors as unused sick leave – CalSTRS members shriek and demand that the taxpayers foot their bill. The CalSTRS board shows little inclination to buck the shriekers.
Obviously, Crane is exactly what the board needs. Unfortunately, it's also apparent that the Senate could use a few more people who care “about the burden of pension shortfalls on taxpayers.”
The irony, dems rejecting a dem who is a close friend of the Gubby.
How's that bipartisanship thingy working for ya , Gub?
Some have complained that some of us "attack" the silly Schwartzenegger administration a little too often... Well heck, it's such a target rich environment!!!
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