Schwarzenegger is an Idiot

[edie2u]

The lawsuit challenges the governor's authority to require all state employees to take two unpaid furloughs each month starting in February.

December 23, 2008

Reporting from Sacramento -- Two public employee unions on Monday sued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to block his effort to furlough state workers in a cost-cutting measure as California's treasury runs out of money.

Last week, Schwarzenegger issued an executive order to require that all state employees take two unpaid days off each month starting in February. The governor said the measure is needed to conserve cash, with the state budget gap estimated to reach $42 billion a year and a half from now.
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Back in the 90's all supervisors and managers were required to take unpaid leave. We were pissed not only to "have to work" for no pay but also to lose 2 days of pay a month! At the time rank an file employees were not included, but later were required to work without pay also. We were not allowed to take the day off. Not quite right is it? Can you imagine a contractor telling his people that they have to work without pay? I'm thinking they would tell him to fuck off. Several months later the rank and file's union filed suit and the state was required to give "time on the books" to supervisors and rank and file. With that precedent how does Arnie baby think he will save money? It should be noted that depending on your classification and position, had to be hired to cover that "day off" (OVERTIME is paid at time and a half!!!). Office staff weren't hired behind but many other positions were including peace officers that work for the state...and that is a shit load. Everything from Highway Patrol, Corrections, State Park Rangers, Fish and Game, D.O.J., the A. G.'s office, well you get the idea (and there are many more). Maybe Arnie should get rid of some of those hind tit suckers that sit in Sacramento that push papers and attend conferences in Vegas and such and don't really contribute.

Phewww, I feel better now.

[edie2u]

Arnold didn't have anything to do with this fiasco:

CalPERS losses approach 25% of assets (Our retirement fund)

California's giant pension fund takes giant hit on real estate
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

At the height of the property bubble, California's giant pension fund, known as Calpers, made a fateful decision: It aggressively poured money into real estate. As a result, today it's one of the biggest owners of undeveloped residential land in America.

Partly because of these investments, California Public Employees' Retirement System is struggling to avoid one of its worst annual declines since its 1932 inception. Cal­pers has lost almost a quarter of its assets since July 1...Calpers has said in recent weeks that it expects to report paper losses of 103 percent on its housing investments in the fiscal year that ended June 30. That's because Calpers invested not only its own money, but billions of dollars of borrowed money that must be repaid even if the investment fails...Calpers potentially could lose nearly $1 billion on LandSource, a $2.5 billion deal completed early last year...Calpers says its investments were done with "customary oversight" and were "appropriate for the asset class and typical of the industry..."



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[Christinko]

California also requires all employers (even if you are a sole prop working for yourself) to have disability insurance for all employees. I will be forced to break the law (as a freelance writer)--I don't even qualify for disability insurance. Geesh!