[quote=briansd1][quote=CA renter] Um, Brian…what do you think “services” are? Do you not realize that in a service industry (as almost all govt entities are), the vast majority of your expenditures are spent on compensation?[/quote]
In my mind public services are schools, libraries, parks, assistance to the poor, etc.. All of those services are being cut.
In Jerry Brown’s own words:
“These are painful reductions – mothers and kids will be getting the same welfare check in real dollars that they got in the ’80s, and the same for the elderly, blind and disabled,”
So we are cutting services in order to pay generous compensations to public employees.
I don’t see the public good being here, nor do I see shared sacrifice. The most senior public employees, who have the most control over our state and local governments, are fighting to keep all of their benefits while services to citizens are being cut and junior employees are being laid-off.[/quote]
FWIW, “schools,” “libraries,” etc. are run by *people* (unless you’re referring to the physical structure/new construction — and even then, the money is being used to pay people for their labor…compensation).
As far as welfare payments being similar to what they were in the 1980s…we can weep for them as we weep for all the workers who are still making 1980 wages (or less!), especially in blue-collar jobs. Let’s reverse the wealth disparity and see what happens.
Time to fix our trade and tax, and immigration policies so that companies are not encouraged to import cheap labor and/or export our jobs. The decimation of our job base both increases the burden on governments at the same time as it reduces tax revenue (especially when the richest people are paying so litte in taxes — as a percentage of income) It would broaden the tax base (so “the rich” could stop complaining about “paying all the taxes”), and increase tax revenues, as well as improve the quality of life for America’s most productive people — the workers.
Time to stop letting the richest Americans and corporate interests dictate tax and trade policies. They are sucking us dry.
