Arnold's latest scheme to use the budget crisis to shock doctrine is to try to shove state employee benefits reform down the throats of the Legislature's throat on the last day. From the Bee:
California public employee unions already reeling from pay cuts have been dealt a new blow by Gov[. Arnold Schwarzenegger - a push to lower pension and retiree health care benefits for state workers hired after today.
Schwarzenegger's call for creation of a two-tier system of retiree benefits was part of a package of proposals submitted to Democratic leaders Saturday in tense negotiations over the state's $24.3 billion shortfall. (SacBee 6/30)
You might recall the pesnion reform concept from the Governor's waste of a special election not of 2009 but waaaay back in 2005. Back then, voters solidly defeated the Governor's "reform" proposals. Update by Brian: My bad on this. I wrote this on my cell phone, and it was a bit hard to get old info. Anyway, as runchadrun points out in the comments, Arnold pulled the initiative before it could get on the ballot because he saw the bad polling.
But the governor sees all sorts of opportunities in this budget crisis to mess with labor, so he figures why not demand that the Legislature get this done in the next 24 hours too. Nevermind public debate over an issue that the voters aren't necessarily on board with, Arnold has no use for the will of the people these days. That was Arnold 2.0, not our current Arnold 4.5, the Shock Doctranaire.
Look, some sort of pension and retiree benefits reform will probably happen in the near future. But this is a big deal for the future of the state, and to slam it down the state's collective throats does not give the issue the proper respect.
Let's deal with the issue at hand, and get to the business of pension reform when a full plan can be fully debated in the public. |
