Brilliant Idea

[Mtnjim]

Our California govenor has

come up with a brilliant idea. Since the "leaders" can't come up with a budget,

f&%k the workers (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/28/politics/uwire/main4301396.shtml).

[belgareth]

I think it is an attempt

(misguided) to put pressure on the 'leaders'. Just remember all of them when it comes time to consider their

ongoing employment as your public servants. Personally, when an employee does such a poor job for me I fire them. In

this case I think the entire elected government of California needs to be fired since you guys go through this crap

every year.

Yes, taking it out on the workers is a terrible idea. Take it out on the elected representatives who

can't do their jobs. Stop paying them until they get the problem solved. And lock the bathrooms too, that will help

speed their deliberations. :twisted:

[Rbt]

Similar proposal in Chicago. Due to

budget problems they are talking about mandantory days off. Lower-paid workers will get 2 days of unpaid time off

and higher paid ($75K/yr) will be required to take 3 days off. Will supposedly save millions of $.

PS this

only applies to non-union workers at the moment.

Add to this the fact that Cook
County Illinois (including the

city-state of Chicago) now has the highest sales tax in the nation at 10.25%

[Mtnjim]

Figures. The "leaders" F things up

then take it out on the "powerless" workers who weren't the ones who set policies that F'ed things up in the first

place.:frustrate

[belgareth]

If the 'powerless workers'

would stop voting the same thieves into office we wouldn't keep seeing the same old crap time and again. Do people

have any memory at all?

There once was a campaign in California called D.R.I.P. It means 'Don't Return

Incumbant Politicians' and was one of the last sensible things I saw in California politics.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_re_us/california_budget

[Mtnjim]

If the

'powerless workers' would stop voting the same thieves into office we wouldn't keep seeing the same old crap time

and again. Do people have any memory at all?

Sadly, this only directly effects 200,000 out of millions.

People being the way they are today only worry about things that directly effect them.

[DrSmellThis]

The funny thing

psychologically, to me, is watching Arnold put all those people at risk just to appear macho. Underneath everything,

I think that's probably all it is.

A lot of politics happens that way. People want to just solve problems

with a simplistic solution because that makes them look like more of a "man" in their opinion. I see it every day in

regular political discussions, too.

Black and white thinking may make you seem stronger and more manly to

idiots, but it also makes you a leader of idiots.

(Personally I believe there is very little room for macho in

complex problem solving activities. The macho guy will just want to beat everything with a hammer, even the most

complicated, intellectual problem; but will find it easier to convince idiots he is right, than the person with a

comprehensive, nuanced solution. Did anybody see the movie, "Idiocracy?" Not a great movie, but made a point.)

[Holmes]

The

funny thing psychologically, to me, is watching Arnold put all those people at risk just to appear macho. Underneath

everything, I think that's probably all it is.

That's all it ever is with Arnold.

[Rbt]

Given that it seems only a small

percentage of eligible US voters actually vote, and seeing how those same idiots in power keep getting re-elected,

I'm almost afraid to see what would happen here in the US if we adopted some countries policiy that you HAVE to

vote by law (I think Austrailia is one of said countries). Of course I'm not speaking of those countries where the

elections is already rigged with but one "real" candidate. You know, vote for El Presidente or vote for the other

guy but if you vote for the other guy let your next of kin know so they can pick up your body... (eg Zimbabwe)

[belgareth]

The problems in any state or in

the country cannot be solved with a single solution. Steps need to be made to address issues, each step intended to

solve a problem with government, not a social problem. Despite what many seem to think, you cannot spend problems

like poor healthcare and starvation wages out of existence. That is a bandaid solution that only masks the

underlying problems. To quote somebody, I'm not sure who "It's the economy, stupid!" and nothing could be more

true. Affordable healthcare, affordable energy and affordable food, to name just a few, are all part of the economic

engine we work within. Additional burdens on that engine in the form of higher taxes to pay for more, improved and

better programs are no more than adding additional burdens to an already strained engine.

Enforcement of

inappropriate or un-neededed laws is another burden. We can argue all day but in my opinion there are very few

necessary laws and many laws that should exist don't.
A couple examples would be helmet or seatbelt laws. It

isn't my business or yours if somebody decides to take the risk of splitting their head open or going through a

windshield. Same thing with adult smoking or drinking. Is it anybody's business who you have sex with, their gender

or whether they are paid for the privilage? If it isn't directly harming anybody but the person(s) engaged in the

activity the law against it should not exist. The government has no right to tell you what you can do to/with your

own body regardless of whether or not it is 'for your own good'.

On the other hand, laws are not enforced or

do not exist that would jail dishonest politicians and corporate CEOs who screw thousands of people every day. Nor

do laws exist or at least they are not enforced that require accountablity of our elected representatives.

California is a great example of that. Why are those politicians who are harming thousands of people because they

want to play games still recieving paychecks and being driven around in limos? They are legally required to have the

budget done and ratified by a given date that they almost always miss yet they are never held accountable. Try

missing filing your tax returns in California for a couple years and see what they do. Who works for who here?

I

rant about it all the time but in short, the political system in this country is broken, in part because the people

have been trained to be apathetic. Give them their bread and circuses and they'll be happy and it works! We all

cheerfully bend over and give a big smile for another screwing by the people who are supposed to be representing our

concerns while many, if not most, line their pockets on contributions from others who are cheerfully screwing us.



It doesn't matter if you are liberal, conservative or moderate. You are getting screwed every day and it gets

worse every day. Do you know what a windfall the recent oil crises has been for the government in the form of taxes?

Perhaps they aren't all that eager for prices to drop. How do you feel about taxes going up because the price of

oil has gone up? Do you know that it is directly related to what you are paying in the grocery store? Every business

out there is being forced to raise prices meaning taxes will increase as well. So, without saying a word, the

government has increased taxes from each one of us. Do you think it is going to stop with the next election? Even

slow down? Get real folks.

Bottom line is that until we as a nation stop allowing this kind of stuff to happen

we are going to continue to be cheated time and again. Start holding those we vote for accountable and when they

don't properly do their jobs impeach them or vote them out of office. Start demanding things be done to resolve

those things that are hurting your state or the nation as a whole and when an elected representative does not do

what they were elected to do fire them. If they break the law, put them in jail, just like you or I would get under

the same conditions.

Elimination of dumb or intrusive laws and pressure on our paid representatives would be a

start towards solving many problems. Many of our economic woes would go away were the burden of excessive taxation

be reduced. Still more would be solved if gouging and incompetence were punished appropriately. We have a rich

nation that is full of sick, poor, hungry and homeless that do not need to be in that condition.

[belgareth]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080822/ap_on_bi_ge/obesity_penalty

In short, the state of Alabama is

going to force employees to get healthy. While it may be in their best interests, it is not within government prevue

to ram it down their throats. Big brother is at it again.