CA: Increased pensions expected to wallop state, local budgets

Mercury News ^ | 5/23/03 | Ken McLaughlin

[NormsRevenge]

Nearly four years ago, Gov. Gray Davis signed a little-noticed piece of legislation that allowed state agencies, cities and counties to boost the retirement benefits of their employees, particularly peace officers and firefighters.

Now that law, debated for only a few minutes in the frenetic closing days of the 1999 legislative session, has come back to haunt California. Those greatly improved retirement benefits -- and a stock market in the tank -- are about to devour billions of dollars that could otherwise be used for education, police and fire protection and road improvements.

[NormsRevenge]

Signed by Gub Davi$ in '99 :-o

Another ticking time bomb courtesy of the spend 'til they bleed gang!

Oh How generouis we can be when it is other's poeple'smoney we are spending and obligating the futures thereof.

[ImpotentRage]

This state is going to implode. The only question is how long it will take to do so.

[zeugma]

Randy Perry, lobbyist for the Peace Officers Research Association of California, agreed. ``You have to understand how important these guys are to California, especially with today's terrorist threat,'' he said. ``They risk their lives every day. They're often injured on the job.''

Typical statist crap. Driving a taxi is more dangerous a profession than being a police officer."

[Gritty]

``We made the same mistake as millions of private investors around the United States,'' assuming the stock market would remain strong - Sen. Deborah Ortiz, a Democrat from Sacramento

In other words, don't blame us for being fools!

This entire fiasco is the obvious fault of that ubiquitous Kalifornia scapegoat, "Nobody".

Just send us more money and we can fix it!

[headsonpikes]

The entire purpose and thrust of modern government is to extract limitless quantities of money from taxpayers, and give it to state employees.

This is as viable a plan as any other socialist scheme.

Doomed, in other words. Just wait until the next generation REFUSES to pay these pensions.

I'm grinning already; call it pre-emptive schadenfreude.

[Mister Baredog]

Now that law, debated for only a few minutes in the frenetic closing days of the 1999 legislative session, has come back to haunt California.

They're still at it. OUR state is doomed, no more checks on RAW liberal DEMONCRAT power. Soon our state will be run exclusively by radicals and homosexuals, sticking it to every business they can find to harrass. The really bad news is there is a mass exodus brewing amoungst employers( the ones who haven't already left)

[Cicero]

"little-noticed piece of legislation"

Little noticed by anyone but Gray Davis, his staff, the Democrats in the legislature who voted for it, the public employee unions who donated to Davis's campaign fund in return for these favors, and the media who declined to cover it properly because they wanted Davis re-elected.

It really annoys me when the media pretend to uncover all these unpleasant "surprises." They were willingly complicit in producing this situation because they would pay any price in support of the man who would guarantee their "rights" to abortion and perversion.

[marsh2]

This little "bargain" will cost our small county about $750,000
next year. We tried to renegotiate with the union and they would not. If we have to, we will be reducing the sheriff's department workforce to pay for it.

The young guys just got eaten by the retirees, yet they supported the bargain. I guess they thought we would just dig deeper into our pockets. The wallet is empty. Makes things easier. We have no choice. If you spend it on retirees, it is not available for anything else. There is no more money.

[Grampa Dave]

Does anyone remember the Jercury News, the Sac Bee, the LA Slimes or the SF Gayrhonicle warning us about this time bomb in 1999?

Naah! The lunatic left policitians were in bed with the lunatic left mediots so this story was forgotten like the recent deficit.

Nothing was brought up last year in the election about this time bomb by the crack head journalists. Hell, they even tried to deny there was a deficit problem until after the election.

[Grampa Dave]

Norm, there is one other fine point that was not mentioned by this Jercury article.

Who authored and pushed this hidden legislation/bill?

Nearly four years ago, Gov. Gray Davis signed a little-noticed piece of legislation that allowed state agencies, cities and counties to boost the retirement benefits of their employees, particularly peace officers and firefighters.

The left wing mediots are willing to blame Davis for signing these bills, but they seldom ever tell us which legislator authored and pushed the legislation. I would say the head communist/socialist Burton was involved.

[boris]

"Little noticed by anyone but Gray Davis, his staff, the Democrats in the legislature who voted for it, the public employee unions who donated to Davis's campaign fund in return for these favors, and the media who declined to cover it properly because they wanted Davis re-elected."

What I love is that Davis presented himself as a hero for signing power contracts when there was a 'power crisis', and now presents himself as a hero for wriggling out of those self-same 'exorbitant' contracts.

These people rely on the public having a short memory, and the public does not disappoint them.

--Boris

[John Jorsett]

ping

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks ! I'll put it on the list!

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