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Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
SurfPup said: "The average pay in CA is no where near $48K, and there is absolutely NO WAY the average employee is getting 40% of their salary in benefits in the private sector-in fact the last numbers I saw showed it below 20%." Make sure we are talking apples to apples. The $48K figure comes from federal stats and is the average, not the median. I am sure that it applies to both government and non-government workers. The 40% value I listed is typical for the cost of an employee to an employer, not purely compensation to the employee, including various payroll, SS and workman's comp type taxes. For city workers, that would include pension payments in lieu of SS payments. To save you the trouble, the feds also state that the California median is $36,441 for all employees, and the median for state workers is $66,006. I'm guessing that the median salary plus overtime for firefighters is going to be well south of $100K. Let us know what you find out. Here is a story that lists the fed numbers: http://www.sacbee.com/737/v-print/story/1917289.h…— September 13, 2009 5:46 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
SurfPup said: "What is the average pay with benefits in CA? $40K? What is the average FF/cop pay with benefits in CA? Around $200K." To be fair, Don is right, and you are pretty far off. The average wage in CA last year was $48,090. A typical employee costs about 1.4 times their base salary, so you are looking at roughly $67,326 a year average, quite a bit higher than $40K. That leaves you at 3 times, not 5 times to reach your $200K figure. Trouble is that your $200K figure is also suspect and seems to be based on a small number of overcompensated firefighters, not the average. For 2010, the San Diego Fire Department personnel expenses are listed as $162,555,779 for 1,236.03 people, or an average of $136,500 (granted, that includes all employees, not just firefighters). That may still be considered too high, but it is closer to 2 times the state average not the 5 you claimed, which is a huge difference. The problem is real enough that we don't need to overstate it for dramatic effect.— September 12, 2009 9:56 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
JF said: "Think that money would have been spent on new fire stations and firefighters? I don't. Not with the head in the sand mindset of this community." So you don't have a problem with the fire chief using the fire department as a tool for politicians to help a well connected insider, because you don't think the money she is lobbying to help waste would have been used for a fire station? Think about that, and you will have a good idea WHY taxpayers don't want to just throw money at the fire department and politicians when they claim there is a need. Its less head in the sand, and more experience with the true motives of the politicians and police and fire unions. There is a long history of crying wolf, and a long history of putting their own interests WAY before the interest of public safety or fiscal responsibility. Police and fire are the routine reasons given for almost every new tax increase and bond measure. After the measures pass, money is shifted around so there isn't a real increase in police and fire, but uneeded bridges get built.— September 12, 2009 8:24 a.m.
Sempra "Investigating" Reports That Its Lobbyist Bedded Down Ex-Legislator
Don, I don't think that is an issue for workmen's comp. I am sure the CPUC (with oversight from the Utilities & Commerce Committee and vice-chair Duvall) will allow SDG&E to raise rates on ratepayers to cover hazard pay and injury claims for its workers lobbying the legislature. Lord knows the shareholders shouldn't be expected to pick up the slack, right?— September 11, 2009 12:21 p.m.
Utilities Commission Denies SDG&E's Power Cutoff Plan -- Leaving an Out
JF, if the city were to mount an "all hands on deck" effort for firefighting with the same level of effort and success as the effort to correct our finances, you ought to see the first new engines roll into their new stations sometime around 2030. What do you think is more important, new stations, new engines and more firefighters, or connecting a bridge across Rose Canyon so more shoppers will drive by Evan's shopping mall? I ask the question, because THAT is the issue that the Council pushed and THAT is the issue that got chief Jarmin to testify (falsely) before the Council, not fire protection in outlying fire-prone areas.— September 11, 2009 9 a.m.
Consumers Pay Off Debt; Economy Will Be Weak. Wall Street Rejoices
How much of the $21.5 billion in consumer debt was defaulted (mortgage defaults, credit card write-offs, personal bankruptcies, etc). Is that evaporation properly accounted for, or would that skew the personal debt ratio to make it appear much lower than it really is? How much of the personal debt that disappeared was made good to the lending institutions by the various government bailouts?— September 9, 2009 9:11 a.m.
Orange County Register Parent to File Bankruptcy: Report
Response to #34: "It sounded to me like your post was aimed at proving Ronnie was some gifted leader who took us to the promised land-and I have a problem with that." Nope, not my intention at all. I wasn't weighing in on Ronnie one way or the other. It is worth noting that even with your extensive list of stupid actions taken by our leaders and the protectionism of Japan, it was Japan that went into a decades long slump (and the Soviet Union that collapsed). We didn't lose our manufacturing twice, which means that Japan is losing manufacturing to China and others. As countries like Japan lose manufacturing, the balance shifts and at some point there is push-back and China slows. India, China and Russia can't all be top-tier world powers, so there will be some natural competition over their immediate geographical sphere of influence that will limit them all and provide a natural drag on the country that emerges on top. China is also surrounded by several billion Muslims and Hindus, which aren't particularly keen on the atheist communist government, plus there has been an explosion of religious growth inside China itself. The US won't always be on top, but despite all we have done to screw it up, we are still in a very good position. There is not room for 3 super powers in asia, so something has to give. It is difficult to see the US dominance in North America ever threatened (at least until global warming makes all of Canada verdant), so we have a very serious natural advantage to fall back on.— September 8, 2009 9:32 a.m.
Orange County Register Parent to File Bankruptcy: Report
SurfPuppy619: "Next Question" I missed your answer to the first question. Were we overwhelmed by the Japanese and Russians, or not? Do we currently bow down to our Soviet masters or not? Is our economy currently dominated by Japan or not? My intention wasn't to endorse either Reagan or his policies, he was just a convenient touchstone for the popular wisdom of many economists and politicians of the time, both republican and democrat.— September 7, 2009 7:03 p.m.
Orange County Register Parent to File Bankruptcy: Report
Response to #25: "Don -- you may not see it in your lifetime or mine, but China will rule the world eventually." Why? China is resource poor with too many mouths to feed, clothe and medicate. You don't seem to be worried about India taking over the world. Why not? What is the difference?— September 7, 2009 7:32 a.m.
Orange County Register Parent to File Bankruptcy: Report
Reply to #19: "Well, eventually when China rules the world" and #20: "China already owns the USA" Sounds eerily like the doom profits of the 1980's. In 1980 Reagan campaigned on the platform that the US was about to be overwhelmed by Japan and the Soviet Union. How did that work out?— September 6, 2009 10:57 p.m.