Another reminder of Jerry Brown’s, Mac Taylor’s irresponsibility

Another reminder of Jerry Brown’s, Mac Taylor’s irresponsibility

mac-taylor-02-300x186This Los Angeles Times story should infuriate anyone familiar with Gov. Jerry Brown’s claims that the state is on firm ground financially — and absolutely appall anyone who knows that alleged watchdog Mac Taylor of the Legislative Anayst’s Office gave Brown cover for his myths:

“SACRAMENTO — While lawmakers begin discussing ways to fix California’s cash-strapped teacher pension system, another long-term financial problem continues to fester.

“The cost of providing healthcare to retired state workers is $64.6 billion more than state leaders have set aside to pay, an increase of $730 million from the previous year.

“The new numbers, calculated as of last June, were released by state Controller John Chiang on Thursday. …

“State workers become eligible, after 10 years on the job, to receive taxpayer-funded healthcare for life. The state picks up an even bigger share of the cost after 20 years of employment. 

“California pays the cost of retiree healthcare directly out of the annual budget. That’s much different from how it handles state pensions, which are largely funded by investment returns on gigantic pension funds.”

New role for ‘watchdog’: civic arsonist

Now let’s revisit what Mac Taylor said last November: At a legislative hearing, he opened his analysis of the state’s fiscal picture by declaring there was a“strong possibility of multibillion-dollar operating surpluses within a few years.”

Yeah, if you ignore CalSTRS’ gigantic and growing shortfall, and unfunded retiree health care, than the state is doing just fine.

And if you leave out what happened that one summer in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan didn’t suffer too much in World War II.

Incredible. How does Mac Taylor sleep at night? He’s a civic arsonist.

13 comments

Write a comment
  1. Ulysses Uhaul
    Ulysses Uhaul 7 March, 2014, 21:16

    Wow. Emotions running wild……

    Forget about pension this and pension that…….worry about your family, your economic future, your spiritual life.

    The rest of this stuff is meaningless.

    Reply this comment
    • Ricky65
      Ricky65 8 March, 2014, 08:47

      Pretty shallow thinking on your part dude. It’s all connected.
      If the taxpayers have to pick up the huge expenses of pensions through crushing new taxes then the economy will be further depressed. More and more of their disposable income will disappear down the government black hole rather than spending it on the private sector.
      Your U-haul business might thrive for a while as businesses and families leave roadrunner dust clouds fleeing the state. But eventually it too will be a ghost town after the producers all leave a failed, bankrupt state.

      Reply this comment
  2. Bob
    Bob 8 March, 2014, 12:30

    Brown and the rest of them are just corrupt tools for special interests like public employee unions. So none of this is any surprise. The public’s apathy should be.

    Reply this comment
  3. Ulysses Uhaul
    Ulysses Uhaul 8 March, 2014, 16:35

    Rickitee

    No fear for old Ulysses…..we have a business diversification master plan. And bug out kits too!

    First we move every besieged Doomer to Redneck havens ……of choice.

    If Nobody left to move….Then we move….there are always buffoon politicians screwing up somewhere and pillaging, plucking and skinning Doomers…..

    Then we move the unhappy cleaned out nomad Doomers to their next out-of-state single wide trailer park or their Rio Linda …..of choice.

    Let’s just call it maybe….like double dipping…..will tell em to save their moving boxes….will see ya soon….will keep a light on for ya!

    Rickitee…..can when mail ya a customized Doomer moving packet with our famous specials on Chinese packing and shipping supplies?

    Reply this comment
  4. SeeSaw
    SeeSaw 9 March, 2014, 13:04

    R65, UH is correct. Taxes are a group thing and your, respective, liability is infinitesimal, compared to the services you receive.

    Reply this comment
  5. billyBS
    billyBS 10 March, 2014, 08:54

    Spend as little as possible to avoid sales taxes. Garage sales, for sale ads really help. Return bottles, cans for money. do the same with cardboard, scrap metal from packaging. Give money to charity to reduce income. Use all legal ways to avoid taxes. Don’t live below your means…live way, way, way below your means.

    Reply this comment
    • JG
      JG 10 March, 2014, 13:04

      That strategy is not as crazy as it sounds. But if you want to make a bigger splash, fully fund your 401k or IRA. Every dollar diverted into a retirement account deprives the ruling class of 9 cents. Not to mention the fact that that dollar is not immediately spent and won’t get taxed again by sales tax.

      Reply this comment
      • Rex the Wonder Dog!
        Rex the Wonder Dog! 10 March, 2014, 18:25

        JG, how do you get 9%? It is a % of income, form 0 up to 13.3%.

        Reply this comment
        • JG
          JG 11 March, 2014, 08:56

          I was just being simplistic. The 13.3% “millionaire’s tax” notwithstanding, the highest marginal tax rate in CA is 9% – and that starts at around 45k of income.

          Reply this comment
  6. Ulysses Uhaul
    Ulysses Uhaul 10 March, 2014, 11:52

    Billybub

    Are you mixing your meds?

    Who has the time to dumpster dive in strip centers and clean butt cans at service stations to collect nasty used bottles. Yuk.

    We are worried about you…..really…

    Reply this comment
  7. billyBS
    billyBS 10 March, 2014, 12:14

    Guess who doe not give a cent what you think?

    Reply this comment
  8. Ulysses Uhaul
    Ulysses Uhaul 10 March, 2014, 20:43

    Poodle……we don’t worry about you….really!

    Reply this comment

Write a Comment

Leave a Reply



Related Articles

Tyranny Comes to San Diego

John Seiler: San Diego is the most pleasant large city in the world. I relax every time I go there.

New regulation fights shadow lobbying

The state’s political watchdog agency unanimously approved a new regulation on Thursday making it harder for lobbyist groups to conceal

Snake Oil Legislators

APRIL 21, 2010 Nearly every person I talk to is either feeling the crush of the bad economy or knows