Article from For Liberty by Norm Leahy.
A collection of five western states sent a letter to House and Senate leaders requesting $1 trillion in federal assistance to cover the growing shortfalls in their budgets. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the money isn’t a “bailout,” or “charity,” but would be used to pay for traditional state programs like public safety.
Newsom has upped the ante, threatening that without additional federal support, “our police officers and firefighters…[will be] the first ones that will be laid off by cities and counties.”
But as Adam Andrzejewski writes in Forbes, U.S. taxpayers should not be asked to support California’s spending addiction, which has resulted in bloated public payrolls and a teetering public pension system:
Despite California’s $54 billion budget deficit and $1 trillion unfunded pension liability, there are 340,390 government employees bringing home six-figure salary and pension checks.
Andrzejewski’s group OpentheBooks.com took a closer look at California’s spending habits to document just how deep the problem was long before the coronavirus arrived on the scene. The group discovered:
…truck drivers in San Francisco making $159,000 per year; lifeguards in LA County costing taxpayers $365,000; nurses at UCSF making up to $501,000; the UCLA athletic director earning $1.8 million; and 1,420 city employees out-earning all 50 state governors ($202,000).
The gravy trained made generous stops among other local government officials, too:
The Sanitation District of Los Angeles has a history of spiking salaries to pad pensions. In fact, four of the top five all-time sanitation high earners are either currently employed or retired from this district: Stephen Maguin ($366,387 – pension); Grace Robinson Hyde ($329,131 – salary); James Stahl ($321,838 – pension); and Robert Ferrante ($306,552 – salary).
Newsom did propose an across the board salary cut for state workers. But as Andrzejewski notes, Newsom “admitted that if the federal government sends states more aid, then the salary reductions will be restored.”
Newsom and his Demoncrat cronies have been stealing the California Citizenry ~blind~ for decades.
Their squandering of public money on boondogles and favored business connections [AKA Big Money Donors], combined with the obscene Public Pension Program [where many retirees are making more in retirement than they did as already overcompensated government workers] can no longer be concealed by bookeeping chicanery and ever higher taxes.
I say NO BAILOUTS!,
If it becomes a matter of Federal Bailouts for any state it needs to done with draconian consequences for the BK state, as a discouragement for any other state taking this as a method for covering up their own Malfeasance by picking the pockets of citizens with more responsible governments.
Why does Newsom wanting to give stimulus checks to illegal immigrants and lay off First responders? At the same time, Newsom still does not open California so that the population can go back to work? This is the most stupid arrogant Governor in the whole U. S.A. Newsom should be recalled for incompetent governor and abuse of power.
and he also closed a va nursing home! yes give money to the illegals instead of our sick veterans.what a pos!
California wasted Billions on : A TRAIN TO NOWHERE, ILLEGAL ALIEN HEALTH CARE—middlemen overseeing insane REGULATIONS—Need I go on? Forest mis-management cost lives and loss of treasure—just for not culling dead trees and brush—–Bailing out these inept low life types will only encourage more of this —
Check their bank accounts, offshore.
“Newsom and his Demoncrat cronies have been stealing the California Citizenry ~blind~ for decades”.
Actually, every leftist is a Democrat crying to be set free to steal everything and anything they can get their hands on with impunity, in other words (or not) , their all of the communist blend!!! That is as nice as I can say for them
RECALL HIM!! SIMPLE. He has no idea what he is doing. And vote Republican!
California,New York and many democrat states have done this to themselves Why should the rest of the nation have to bail them out. Get rid of illegals stop paying them to vote democrat. You have to many on govt. planning , hell my sister moved their because you paid more for her not to work.
Don’t Give California one RED Cent ! Nothing but a Do Nothing Democrat ran State with Poverty Like The world has NEVER seen, Learn how to budget your Money like every other State or do with out PERIOD ! This is Nancy Pelosi District , this should tell you something . TRUMP 20/20 MAGA!
Look at those pensions! Holy smoke! That’s crazy! They make more than I do and I’m very well paid, I’m also a very smart technician with 30 years of experience. I’m sure they’re stupid. Not much to sanitation.
They need a significant pay cut! How about $50K.
VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!
Ugh is there any good news ?
Yes, 12 million Demo-craps being thrown out of a plane at 30,000 feet………………..I believe, it’s called a start!
The problem: The People who vote for the Democrats .
This is just evil.
Why does Newsom wanting to give stimulus checks to illegal immigrants and lay off First responders? At the same time, Newsom still does not open California so that the population can go back to work? This is the most stupid arrogant Governor in the whole U. S.A. Newsom should be recalled for incompetent governor and abuse of power.
Feed a stray animal and it will continue to come back to eat for free. Eventually that animal will no longer scrounge or take care of itself. It relies on the free handouts.
Corporate welfare …. works just like personal welfare .. destroys the will to do better.
Not one dime for these irresponsible incompetent democrat a-holes. They got themselves into their financial problem, let’s see them get out. Newsom threatens that he would have to reduce state and local law enforcement. So what! With his new rules it makes no difference.
Fock you! We knew you’d try to get the whole nation to bail out your public sector expenses, which was bad enough, but now you threaten to furlough first responders rather than the millions of social workers in administrative holding patterns. Get stoughed!
It is quite obvious that the government of California is totally irresponsible. I worked hard all of my working life (starting at the age of 15 and am now fast approaching the age of 94), and I don’t owe California anything. I saved for my retirement instead of taking annual fancy vacations. Those people in California can learn to do what I did. I never asked anybody to bail me out of anything and I don’t owe those people anything. I resent the governor of California seeking my tax dollars because he can’t learn to live within his means.
Governor Newsom $210,000 salary …. highest in the land. Do you suppose he could take a pay cut …. say $205,000
NO!! Don’t use my tax dollars to pay these bloated, unrealistic salaries & pensions! I served my country for over 21 years as an officer, and I don’t make a six digit retirement!!
California communist state helps only illegal aliens none of us Americans in fact, we do not even get a chance to vote. Illegals are given the jobs and they pay less for rent. Americans are the ones taxes out to keep illegal aliens fat with big houses and pensions. This state want us Americans dead it is why we have a fire season. All of them are traitors so glad finally someone following the money. Newsom belongs in prison.
Fock you! We knew you’d try to get the whole nation to bail out your public sector expenses, which was bad enough, but now you threaten to furlough first responders rather than the millions of social workers in administrative holding patterns. Get stoughed!
No bail outs for CA. Newsom should have used what he received more judiciously.CA has the some of highest taxes in the country but he wastes it. He wants the rest of U.S. to pay for his bad decisions.
A $366.000.00 pension? for a friggen trash truck driver ? are you goddamn Stoopid ? (intentionally spelled that way)
You made your bed now sleep in it.
Why should other state taxpayers bail out the states with extravagant spending habits, let these crybaby big spenders learn to live within their states funds paid by their own taxpayers just like other states have to do
No money for calimexico. Newsom wants money here it is $ 26 billion $ is spend in California on illigals send them all home. + $ 75 million of our money he is giving to illigals $ 500.00 per person ‘ 1000
00 per family. $ 140 million Pelosi is worth $ 180 Feinstain + Btown $ 70 mil on pet project train to nowhere + whatever newsom is worth. They ruin California, they need to pay for it. Newsom is the useless moton same like Brown was azad nd Arnold before them.