Some of you out-of-towners expressed some small interest in the doings of our Governor and the state's budget standoff. Here's what our heroes are up to now.
Last Thursday, Arnold did indeed sign the Executive Order. It directed the State Controller's Office to pay civil servants the federal minimum wage. (That's a gross of about $1048 [per month] for a full-timer.) In his speech, he assured Californians he won't back down until real change is made by the Legislature. Oh, and it also fired the student assistants and temp workers.
Next, he got the head of the Department of Finance to stand up and explain that some civil servants are better than others, particularly fire and police and prison guards.
Before the speeches were over, all our student assistants and temp workers got phone calls from Personnel and then cleared their desks. I don't even have a joke to make about that, because they're good kids and they keep our office running.
By close of business Thursday, our State Controller posted a copy of a letter [PDF] which he sent to the Governor's office. This is what it said:
a) No way, dude. I'm an elected official and you can't tell me what to do.
b) Our computer system is older than Windows 3.1, and it's nearly impossible to program such a huge change in 200,000 people's paychecks like this. Maybe you could play a nice game of chess, but otherwise forget it.
c) You keep referring to White v. Davis. I do not think it means what you think it means.
d) And even if it did, you can't just exempt firefighters, prison guards, etc. because you feel like it. It's all or nothing.
Over the weekend, the Legislature and the Governor met for about two hours, which is barely enough time to call roll and send up for danishes.
Meanwhile, the union protested to anyone who will listen. On Monday, they sent around a PDF which we were to print and send to the Governor. It was a pink slip, made out to Arnold, firing him for gross negligence. (I deleted it.)
Late Monday, Arnold proposed a "temporary" one-cent sales tax, probably because he was daunted by the sudden arrival of a few dozen pink slips.
You can't buy this quality of entertainment, folks. Well, actually you can ... but baby, is it expensive.
1049 per what? i believe that's more than i make.
Posted by: e | August 05, 2008 at 02:37 AM
Per month. I'll add the time frame above.
Posted by: pam | August 05, 2008 at 05:55 AM
Ever since I moved to California, it's constantly amazed me how our government works. They spend time on things that don't really matter (children must be wrapped in inflated innertubes in a car seat until they are 17 or become grossly obese from eating sugar filled sodas and candy from the school cafeteria vending machine - and cannot pass on the street anyone with a lit cigarette or anyone displaying alcohol of any kind within 600 yards of the car with the child in it - let's keep our kids safe) in the big scheme and don't attend to things that do. Then, they find they've run out of money because they have to pay people to pay attention to the things that don't matter when they should be spending time and money on things that do - like education
Posted by: Lori | August 05, 2008 at 07:08 AM
Thanks for the well worded synopsis. I was getting a headache trying to follow it all.
Explain again why Arnold doesn't just waste all those girly men.
Posted by: your mother | August 05, 2008 at 02:24 PM
Can we have Grey Davis back?
Posted by: Stephanie | August 05, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Can we have Grey Davis back?
Posted by: Stephanie | August 05, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Shh, shh ... Gray has gone to a happier place. The moon.
http://www.lunarregistry.com/gray/
Posted by: pam | August 06, 2008 at 06:24 AM
Thanks, Pam and Lori. Between the two of you I feel up to date despite my not reading the newspaper in the past couple years. I think you pretty much summarized everything I missed. And why I missed it.
Posted by: 'mouse | August 06, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Edmund Brown (who presided over California when it was, essentially, the sixth richest nation IN THE WORLD--ie, 1966--) must surely be supersonically revolving in his grave at the political travesty his incessantly dim-witted sucessors have created. And yes, that includes Ronald Reagan (boy does it ever) and yes especially does it includes Edmund's gone-with-the-flow son Jerry and god-in-heaven-with-all-his-chillun does it include the Duncinator.
We've come a long way, baby. All of it downhill...
Posted by: Anthony | August 07, 2008 at 05:12 AM