When asked his preferred opponent, Obama or Clinton, McCain said Ron Paul. The war criminal meant it as a joke, but if only: a general election between a man of peace and a mass killer, between an Austrian economist and a fascist, between an honest money man and a Fed counterfeiter, between a good man and a bad one. (Thanks to Barbara Hoffman.)
Steven Greenhut has been writing for years about these public employee bonanzas in Southern California, but with the housing bust and other economic calamities on the the horizon, I suspect other cities are going to follow Vallejo. For many years, public employee unions have looted one city after another, and from what I can tell, the bills are going to come due. (The list of salaries is only the surface. The benefits and pensions are breathtaking and clearly are NOT sustainable in a rational economic world.)
Don't forget that many of these employees would be hard-pressed to find comparable work in the private sector. Moreover, they have come to see these high salaries as a right and entitlement, and would not make good employees in a situation where they really had to work.
So, I wish these people luck. Remember all of those city council meetings in which municipal employees dominated the proceedings and intimidated anyone who might speak out against this largess? These people are going to be headed for financial ruin, as they have now become accustomed to lifestyles of wealthy people. I suspect that many of them won't be wealthy for much longer.
No wonder McCain is the neocons' choice for total war. Another of his minister-pals wants the US government to commit genocide against Muslims, or, rather, to pick up the pace.
Writes Kitty Carr: "I loaded that database [of government workers in bankrupt Vallejo, CA, making more than $100K), and the number is actually 292, not 242. The highest salary is $435,638 (Police Department token woman) and the lowest is $100,499 (Community Development Department, which is not to be confused with the Development Services Department.) Of the 292 on the list, there are 148 members in the Police Department and 100 members in the Fire Department.
"Thirty-one government 'workers' make over $200,000, including nine in the Police Department and 30 in the Fire Department.
"According to 2003 Census data, the population of Vallejo is 119,708. The per capita income for 1999 was $20,415, but I think it is now somewhere between 54,000 and 61,000."
UPDATE from Steven St. Jean: "The 'police department token woman' mentioned by Kitty Carr was one Joann West, a spokeswoman who took a retirement payout of over $435,000 last year. Realizing it was in 'public relations' trouble for such malfeasance, the city spent yet more tax money to hire a propaganda expert. Who did they hire? You guessed it:
"'On Monday, Vallejo hired West, a former spokeswoman for the city's Police Department, to guide the city through the intense public scrutiny that's sure to come in the next few months.
“'West was the highest-paid Vallejo employee last year, taking a $435,638 payout when she retired from the Police Department.'"
"The Robert L. Capp collection at the Hoover Institution Archives contains ten never-before-published photographs illustrating the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing. These photographs, taken by an unknown Japanese photographer, were found in 1945 among rolls of undeveloped film in a cave outside Hiroshima by U.S. serviceman Robert L. Capp, who was attached to the occupation forces. Unlike most photos of the Hiroshima bombing, these dramatically convey the human as well as material destruction unleashed by the atomic bomb."
Marc Scibilia and Israel Anderson are coordinating Freedom Tour '08, which aims to hit 28 cities in five weeks starting next month. Music, speakers, etc., tied up in a Ron Paul/freedom package.
They've both had books at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. notes the Boston Globe. In fact, when it comes to the warfare-welfare state, Ron's book is about the audacity of nope.
Chris, that event was by invitation only. I think even in D.C. people would want to see him.
Inside the beltway, only a "small group" of conservatives meets with Dr. Paul, unlike the rest of the country, where thousands want to see him at every stop.
He discusses plans for a July 12 rally in Washington, convention activities, and the long haul. Also a good link to a John Stossell interview with Dr. Paul.
