State of California is broke

[GoochMan]

That's ok. I can't fit in their clothes anyway. Too much subsidized high fructose corn syrup.

This particular banana republic is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Dakine politics crazy out here, brah!

 

[Stitch]

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/26/3727843/six-figure-pensions-soar-for-california.html

Thousands of newly retired school administrators will earn more during retirement than most Californians will make during their working careers.

The number of educators receiving $100,000-plus annual pensions jumped 650 percent from 2005 to 2011, going from 700 to 5,400, according to a Bee review of data from the California State Teachers' Retirement System.

...

A series of benefit enhancements a decade ago also explain the rise. Experienced teachers and administrators can now make a pension equal to 2.4 percent of their highest pay for each year of service, up from a flat 2 percent. Largely as a result, more than a third of the state's six-figure pensioners earn more each year in retirement than they ever did on the job.

This sounds like a Prop 13 problem. I'll wait for someone a continent away, who lived here during the Clinton administration, to confirm it.

It's your choice to live there. There are several states I wouldn't live in.

 

[maberger]

As we've been told many times, California has a Prop 13 problem. Not a spending problem.

It isn't a problem when Tony Villar's Los Angeles just has to pay an extra $105k to skirt the federal cap on pay for an agency chief.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-housing-pay-20120608,0,7980390.story

There is no spending problem. Just a Prop 13 problem.

yes of course. because the BILLIONS of dollars an un-prop 13-ed state would bring in wouldn't cover the bill for some corrupt politico's 100K tab. because that's equivalent to the entire discussion anyway.

and let me make sure i'm clear on this: those who have used the capitalist system to maximize their benefits are now being demonized by those who failed to use the capitalist system to maximize their own benefits. in other words, if i do it, it's great and screw the rest of you. but because i failed to exploit the capitalist system as well as others, those who performed better than me -- those who were better capitalists than i -- should now be punished because i am a failure.

did i get that right?

 

[SoCalScribe]

As much as Californians love complaining about the absolute morass in Sacramento, no one loves hating on California more than people who don't live in California. If it's so terrible, why do so many residents of so many states (not New York, of course, they'd never deign to do so) spend so much time crapping on California?

I think it's because we all know it was once the most incredible place in America in which to live. That time has passed, not due to any fault in our geography, but due to governance issues.

I will say this for Jerry Brown -- no matter your view on his politics, dude does not give a ---- what anyone thinks and is trying to get things done. I think a lot of people can respect that regardless of my politics.

 

[poindexter]

As we've been told many times, California has a Prop 13 problem. Not a spending problem.

It isn't a problem when Tony Villar's Los Angeles just has to pay an extra $105k to skirt the federal cap on pay for an agency chief.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-housing-pay-20120608,0,7980390.story

There is no spending problem. Just a Prop 13 problem.

yes of course. because the BILLIONS of dollars an un-prop 13-ed state would bring in wouldn't cover the bill for some corrupt politico's 100K tab. because that's equivalent to the entire discussion anyway.

and let me make sure i'm clear on this: those who have used the capitalist system to maximize their benefits are now being demonized by those who failed to use the capitalist system to maximize their own benefits. in other words, if i do it, it's great and screw the rest of you. but because i failed to exploit the capitalist system as well as others, those who performed better than me -- those who were better capitalists than i -- should now be punished because i am a failure.

did i get that right?

I have no clue what you are saying.

 

[poindexter]

btw, San Diego and San Jose (the two cities who passed pension reform) have payments of 20% and 27%, respectively of their annual operating budget to fund retiree costs.

27% of your annual city budget to pay pensions.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

btw, San Diego and San Jose (the two cities who passed pension reform) have payments of 20% and 27%, respectively of their annual operating budget to fund retiree costs.

27% of your annual city budget to pay pensions.

It's pretty frightening... The measures passing on Tuesday were a (small) step in the right direction. Hopefully the union gets slammed in court.

 

[Stitch]

How many of those in favor of crushing public-sector unions also want government to end the wasteful practice of requiring various public entities to pist public notices in newspapers?

 

[LongTimeListener]

How many of those in favor of crushing public-sector unions also want government to end the wasteful practice of requiring various public entities to pist public notices in newspapers?

How many of those who root against LeBron also want Denmark to win Euro 2012?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

As we've been told many times, California has a Prop 13 problem. Not a spending problem.

It isn't a problem when Tony Villar's Los Angeles just has to pay an extra $105k to skirt the federal cap on pay for an agency chief.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-housing-pay-20120608,0,7980390.story

There is no spending problem. Just a Prop 13 problem.

yes of course. because the BILLIONS of dollars an un-prop 13-ed state would bring in wouldn't cover the bill for some corrupt politico's 100K tab. because that's equivalent to the entire discussion anyway.

and let me make sure i'm clear on this: those who have used the capitalist system to maximize their benefits are now being demonized by those who failed to use the capitalist system to maximize their own benefits. in other words, if i do it, it's great and screw the rest of you. but because i failed to exploit the capitalist system as well as others, those who performed better than me -- those who were better capitalists than i -- should now be punished because i am a failure.

did i get that right?

I have no clue what you are saying.

Pretty sure Berger's talking about how the poor 1 Percent doesn't deserve to be ripped on because it's a punishment that they may have to pay a few extra percentage points in taxes to support the wages of the people who keep the civil society that enables the same 1 Percenters to profit so handsomely going.

 

[LongTimeListener]

No, Berger's saying he has no forking idea what is happening in California, and you are compounding the cluelessness by referring to all of the state's homeowners as "1 per centers."

Unions are not always right, guys.

 

[BTExpress]

I think it's because we all know it was once the most incredible place in America in which to live. That time has passed, not due to any fault in our geography, but due to governance issues.

Pretty much.

But geography will have its say, and it will make governance issues look like a minor nuisance when tens of thousands are missing in the rubble.