The Black Informant | African American Commentary, News and Community Building

When government does not get its way, the most vulnerable get targeted

The people of the state of California yesterday to crush propositions that would have raised state taxes. Led by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, this was a last ditch attempt to put taxpayers on the hook for a state bureaucracy that is still growing despite being in the middle of a recession.

Despite freeze, state hired 33,000 workers (2003)
Despite budget shortfall, state government is still hiring (2008)
Editorial: Belt-tightening? State workforce still growing (2009)

Bottom line, despite the fact that the private sector has trimmed thousands of jobs during slow economies, government doesn’t know how to stop growing. And those same workers who have been laid off in the private sector are still on the hook to cover the salaries and benefits of state workers.

This is more than just a game, this is a full blown racket. And like a street gang or the Mafia, if you do not go along with the bully government, something close to you will get hurt.

Right in the middle of the Santa Barbara fires, Gov. Schwarzenegger decided to scare the people of California by saying the following~

“We owe it to the people of California to tell what the consequences are,” he said, adding, “Fire protection, without any doubt, will suffer if the measures don’t pass.”

So if you don’t vote our way, California will burn.

Next target? The children.

Poison-control funds on chopping block

“Don’t count on California’s Poison Control System for help if your child swallows something dangerous – because after September, the state may become the only one in the nation without such services after this week’s special election results, state officials said Wednesday.”

Next target? The poor.

Governor plans to completely eliminate welfare for families

“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to completely eliminate the state’s welfare program for families, medical insurance for low-income children and Cal Grants cash assistance to college and university students.”

Too bad the poor and children come before things like massive building projects for schools that are not needed.

No word on cutting wasteful spending like the following~

“…how General Services and the Department of Corrections and rehabilitation wasted $580,000 by leasing office space for four years that wasn’t being used.

A second chapter tells how General Services wasted $3,000 by paying a private vendor for emergency preparedness training in Los Angeles, even though the California Highway Patrol provides the training free of charge.” (more…)

No word on cutting the process of cutting bad teachers who are covered by union bureaucracy. Meanwhile, taxpayers are stuck paying the salaries, health insurance and health benefits of teachers who are doing nothing.

Times investigation: Failure gets a pass

No work on cutting the roughly $14k Californians pay per inmate for health insurance.

Don’t fall for the okie doke.