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Questions Abound in City's Planned Refunding of Stadium Bonds
We know the Chargers have designs on the stadium property, they published one. Fortunately after examining this plan, the public laughed them all the way to Oceanside. While pitching plans all across the county their mouthpiece kept saying that the city should pay them for the chance to demolish the stadium we built for them, because of the big money the city could get for developing the site. The Chargers can't make real money on the stadium downtown, the facility can't be superior in this inferior location, but they could make money developing the site of the present stadium. Perhaps we can't follow the cards in this game of three card monte, but we know what the result will be if we don't leave the game. The stadium land will be sold, and our children will learn where to find crack and prostitutes on the way to Jerry Sanders Stadium.— March 13, 2010 10:54 a.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
To Surfpup, This city is not truly bankrupt thanks to the twenty square miles of real estate it still owns. Republican developers salivate whenever they hear the word bankruptcy. Abuse of our public lands is platform stuff for Republicans, they want to drill for oil next to your surf. Still we must have options short of bankruptcy. Since you study law, perhaps you can help me. Isn't the furtherance of a contract achieved through illegal means conspiracy? Isn't every citizen required to break such a contract if he reasonably suspects criminality even if he has no certain proof? I know in real estate law the suspicion of drug manufacture is enough to tear up any contract, and failure to evict could cost an owner their property. To this citizen, the accounting shenanigans concurrent with the ballpark bonds raise a strong suspicion that criminal securities fraud was perpetrated by city officials and union representatives, whether individual guilt can be proved or not. Plainly the city shouldn't default on these bonds, that would be completion of the criminal scheme. Plainly it would be ethical to default on the pension obligations, since this was accrued by deception, but the legalities would be heard by a judge. We should negotiate with the public unions for give backs that could save jobs and maybe save the city from bankruptcy. Unions alone can do this, and the solvency of the city is of concern to them. As for bankruptcy, remember that Crooky Macmillan owns judges in this town and our land could be sold at lowball prices. Or as with the Naval Training Center, simply thrown to the developer sharks.— March 11, 2010 1:22 p.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
to 259 The old paradigm is dead of course, that's why the economy is wrecked. Still more people will admit to belonging to a union, than will admit to belonging to the republican party, at least on this blog. Wal Mart is a lawless workplace, thanks to raw political power, and the exploitation of labor law loopholes made possible by corrupt republican judges. If unions weren't powerful, they wouldn't still be bribing people to keep them away, and wouldn't keep bashing unions in the valuable ad space in the UT editorial column. And if unions weren't powerful we wouldn't be talking about excessive pay in the public sector. If unions are a bad idea, what will help the working poor get the spending power to get us out of this recession? Do you like the trends of the last thirty union busting years? How would you reform unions? What would you replace them with?— March 11, 2010 10:23 a.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
A police officer and cab driver face roughly the same level of danger, and for the same hours on the job the police rookie might easily make 20 times what the rookie cabdriver does. The idea that Americans need to be paid for danger is an insulting joke. most I think would pay for the joy of turning on a siren and zooming the streets. I know I would. We pay police and fire not for the danger but for the political power of their effective organizations. They appear to have abused this power, trading their integrity for money. The cabdriver is paid nothing because lacks this power. In other cities and nations drivers have organized, and they have improved pay and improved service. The lawless public sector workplace is the real scandal. We more labor organizations. We shouldn't let the excesses of a few unions drive us into the union bashing republican party. Call me a liberal, but I don't think today's business executives have any credibility on the issue of fair compensation, and union bashing statements from million a year people nauseate me. Don't be tricked.— March 11, 2010 3:25 a.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
to 239 After accusing the firefighters' union of criminal collusion, calling them greedy opportunists, and harshest of all, comparing them to lawyers, I am accused of glorifying firefighters and justifying their pay. I'll cop to the glorifying, I can overlook the criminal escapades of their union and like them anyway. I don't justify their pay however. Surfpuppy has made his case, we can easily find good people at less pay. Mr. Bauder has made his case, the town is bankrupt after bad investments and accounting trickery, and can't afford what we promised, whether the deal was crooked or not.— March 10, 2010 12:55 a.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
to Surfpup, DB Earlier a comparison was made between firefighter and rocket scientist, it happens that my father was both during his sixty year working career. As a teenager he worked summers for the department of forestry during the labor shortages of the second world war. After a year he commanded his own fire truck team, composed of those unfit for military service, and much older than himself. If the job required no brains, he wouldn't have got this promotion. The problems he faced as a firefighter were just as difficult and far more dangerous than those he faced on the Apollo program. The nation might try spending as much science on the problem of exploding trees, as it does on exploding rockets. After this we need firefighters who understand this complex problem. Should we watch our back country burn every year in the background of our elected official's news conferences, as they explain it as a natural and normal? Before there was science smallpox was natural and normal. We NEED improved scientific firefighting. We NEED scientific fire prevention and planning. We need to better organize the team of local, county, and state fire crews. These problems are just as complex as rocket science. I think, for this nation, the fire fighting is more difficult. The rockets don't blow up every September.— March 9, 2010 7:08 p.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
to 226 The present fiscal chaos stems from the mandate that taxes require a super majority, while spending requires only a majority. If spending required a super majority and taxes only a majority, our governments could be fiscally sound. In the present system balancing the books requires a consensus that California no longer has. And while we are dreaming, I'd like a pony also. Why not restore the right to vote for the California citizen of our choice. Repeal term limits and proposition 13. Defeat the republican plot to destroy California government before it's too late. Should our cities be run by republican bankruptcy judge after the republicans bankrupted the city? Want to sell Balboa Park to the judge's developer friends? Right now we must obey the law, and the law says we must lay off workers in a recession even though it's stupid and wrong. Stupid and wrong like proposition 13.— March 9, 2010 10 a.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
to 223 I believe we should return to majority rule on all issues, in all referendums, in our statehouses, our counties, and cities. The referendums restricting taxation have made our state, county, and cities ungovernable. If a tax referendum could pass, we could consider keeping our current police and fire at this cost, but obviously with dropping revenues the axe must fall. Lets try to keep the best. Now the axe should fall first on Super Chicken. That police helicopter is just annoying. Hate to diss a fellow super hero though.— March 9, 2010 12:20 a.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
to 195 Horrific failures over the years prove the need for better firefighting and policing. Both professions have improved performance over the last hundred years from bribable thugs, to professionals well deserving the respect we pay to doctors and lawyers. Now Surfpuppy, my comment was a joke, but based on truth. The respect we pay to to doctors and lawyers, is to regard them as greedy opportunists we can't do without. Police and fire have earned this, as you have explained. The problem is, unless we fix the California constitution, we can't afford the police and fire we have today. We must lay off large numbers at these prices, we should try to keep the best, and retire the rest. Unless the public keeps a close eye like you do Surfpup, we will keep the donut crunchers of San Diego Northern to placate the paranoid rich, and fire the public servants serving Southeast, leaving Pistol Pete to shoot it out with the crack dealers.— March 8, 2010 8:43 p.m.
Work for a Government and Rake in Bucks
to 175 First remember that the value of the essential is beyond price. After this we can discuss what we can afford, and what qualified people will accept in pay. Horrific failures over the years prove the need for better firefighting and policing. Both professions have improved performance over the last hundred years from bribable thugs, to professionals well deserving the respect we pay to doctors and lawyers. If better pay meant better professional performance, I would say pay more. Unfortunately giving more to the untalented and unqualified may make the problem worse. Police and Firefighters face far more complex and difficult situations than rocket scientists do, and they can't experiment. To succeed they must obey set procedure, and for this they are ridiculed in a thousand movies, for lacking that most American trait, imagination. The exploding gases of a house fire, or an angry mob, are far more complex than the controlled explosions of rocket science. Police and fire don't need the mind of a scientist, but they require obedience and discipline that a good scientist shouldn't have. Police and fire persons vary in value from worth any price to public menace. We should use the high pay and the ensuing layoffs to hold these professionals to a high standard. They aren't trained like rocket scientists, but they should be.— March 8, 2010 2:04 p.m.