Comments on: The union assault — covert and overt — on direct democracy

By: YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA

YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 00:05:03 +0000

Who can save the City of Los Angeles from bankruptcy?

I am a firm believer that you can accomplish more with honey than with vinegar.
The City of Los Angeles is on the brink of Municipal Bankruptcy. If that happens all of LA City employees will sustain a severe economic and financial blow, which cannot be rectified. The people who reside in the City of Los Angeles will sustain much hardship if this financial situation is not resolved amicably.
I propose that all parties handling the city finances and all Union organizations and other organizations that service the city should put all the cards on the table. Show all expenses and liabilities, a conservative approach to projected revenues, no fudging of expenses or revenues.
It is in the best interests of all parties to come to a compromise. Remember a piece of cake is better than no cake at all. Eventually the cow runs out of milk.
Today’s economic and financial situation throughout Los Angeles and the rest of the country as a whole is the worst since the depression.
The City of Los Angeles must aggressively help businesses in trouble survive and court other businesses to locate in the City of Los Angeles. Businesses create jobs and revenues. We must look at the “multiplier affect of thriving businesses”, which creates economic prosperity.

YJ Draiman

By: Johnathan

Johnathan — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:33:23 +0000

The first paragraph has an incorrect use of “then.” It should be “than” instead in the following sentence part: “30 percent more signatures then the minimum.”

Editor’s note: Thank you. We fixed it in the text.

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:19:20 +0000

Good article Chris, your numbers tell the truth on how corrupt these unions are. These unions have tons of money to promote their agenda and spin. But in the long run economics and the numbers always prevail. Unfortunately we will have to the learn the hard way that we are being screwed by the unions, but that is just the way it is (Hello Greece). And all you new union members you will be the first to get the shaft because of your lack of numbers in your unions, your members with seniority will suck up easily their own and your pension contributions, but fill comfortable knowing you are way ahead of the private sector and most of all the youth of this (kick the can down the road) state.

By: SeeSaw

SeeSaw — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:15:24 +0000

Good post, Justin.

By: Justin Wonder

Justin Wonder — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:06:52 +0000

The endless ying and yang arguments regarding pensions …but the original topic was on direct democracy and versus the so called power of unions. The author’s bias is well known in San Diego, so his writings/opinions are, or should be, viewed in the color of that light, not taken as gospel.
IMO the exercise of any group, organized or not, to oppose, or support a citizen’s initiative is just another example of democracy in action and should be celebrated. Power should NOT rest with any ONE group. Two recent example of this were cited, albeit unequally (what a surprise) by the author in San Diego. The commonality between both were: one, the author, a multi-millionaire city councilman with a history of, we’ll let’s spinning facts to me his personal and political ambitions. And two, labor groups whose mission is to fight for their members.
What the author leaves out, and most don’t understand, is LBFO. Last Best Final Offer combined with law which explicitly prohibit strikes by public employees. While public employees have collective bargaining rights in California, the cannot legally strike without risk of being fired. Government employers can and DO IMPOSE LBFOs. So unless negotiators are negotiating in bad faith and it can be proved so in a court of law, power swings like a pendulum from one side of the equation to the other.

By: SeeSaw

SeeSaw — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:09:32 +0000

Stop it Donkey! Are you going to copywrite that acronymn or what! If not, throw it away! Nobody knows what the heck you are talking about–it is just hate rhetoric anyway.

By: SeeSaw

SeeSaw — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:08:00 +0000

TL: Nos. 1 and 2: There is no rule of thumb or law in existence that states public employee pay and private counterpart pay should be the same. Those of you who advocate such, are the first ones to decry any policy shifts by the government that you would consider Socialism.

No. 3: Lie;

No. 4: The payments made by the employer and employee to their respective pension plans are set by the Plan actuaries and the payers just do what they are told–The investment earnings take over from there.

No. 5: I don’t think you can be everywhere TL, and you don’t know any more than I do about specific servies provided by any public sector worder.

No. 6: Lie;
No. 7: Lie!

By: Donkey

Donkey — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:56:15 +0000

TL is right SKdog, the math will solve the greed of the RAGWUS feeders!! 😉

By: Tough Love

Tough Love — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:24:25 +0000

Skippy, Not one of the 7 items I listed is inaccurate, and I believe YOU know that.

No person or group (or anyone else) pays me to do so. I comment solely because (by experience and training) I understand pension design and funding way better than most, and hence I know the true cost of the absurd pension promises that you, your ilk, and your Union have connived and bribed your way into getting …. and that it’s WAY past time to both STOP and REVERSE it.

By: Skippingdog

Skippingdog — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:13:41 +0000

No, those are the same tired claims made here on CWD and on every other public pension blog. No matter how many times you post them, or how fervently you believe them, they are either blatantly false or materially misrepresent the facts.

You’re smart enough to know that, so your interest must be in either generating clicks or shilling for the “financial services” industry in which you claim to work. I suspect the real truth is that you’re nothing more than a paid blogger for some group like Reason, Cato, or one of the Right-Wing funded anti-union and anti-public employee groups out there like the groups that created and support these “Watchdog” sites.