CALIFORNIA HAS A PROBLEM

“With a shrinking labor pool and a lower unemployment rate, employers are going to have to find ways to train people who are unemployed to fill the jobs that are available.” - Andy Katz

Hey, California, if you can't live within your means, you can't live without 'em. - 2q(Jim)

AND T'AINT POLITICAL, NEEDER
SACRAMENTO -- -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has prepared an order to cut the pay of about 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until a budget is signed.

Administration officials said Schwarzenegger was expected to sign the order... early next week as part of an effort to avert a cash crisis. The deadline for passing a budget was July 1, and without one soon, the officials said, California may be unable to borrow billions of dollars needed to keep the state solvent.

The Republican governor's controversial plan... would allow the state to defer paying about $1 billion a month, administration officials said. Workers would be repaid their lost earnings once a budget was in place.

As drafted, the order also calls for the state to immediately lay off 21,855 part-time workers, stop overtime payments for almost all employees and cease all hiring until a budget is enacted.

The executive order appears intended to show that Schwarzenegger is taking action... Democrats rely on the major public employee unions to help bankroll their political campaigns, and the public-safety unions that Republicans often look to for support could be affected by his order.

Democrats continue to rally around their plan to close a $15.2-billion deficit with new taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and Republican lawmakers say they will… vote against tax hikes.

Los Angeles Times, "Schwarzenegger seeks to slash state workers' pay till budget passes", Evan Halper, July 24, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-budget24-2008jul24,0,7487129.story

COFFEE BREAK? UNEMPLOYED?
Four men were bragging about how smart their dogs were.

One man was an engineer, the second man was an accountant, the third man was a chemist, and the fourth was a government worker.

To show off, the engineer called to his dog, "T-square, do your stuff."

T-square trotted over to a desk, took out some paper and a pen, and promptly drew a circle, a square, and a triangle.

Everyone agreed that that was pretty smart.

The accountant said that his dog could do better. He called to his dog and said, "Spreadsheet, do your stuff."

Spreadsheet went out into the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into four equal piles of three cookies each. Everyone agreed that that was real good.

The chemist said that his dog could do better still. He called to his dog and said, "Measure, do your stuff."

Measure got up, walked over to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a ten-ounce glass from the cupboard, and poured exactly eight ounces without spilling a drop.

Everyone agreed that that was pretty impressive.

Then the three men turned to the government worker and said, "Okay, Now what can your dog do?"

The government worker called to his dog and said, "Coffee Break, do your stuff."

Coffee Break jumped to his feet, ate the cookies, drank the milk, claimed he had injured his back while doing so, filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions, put in for workers' compensation, and went home for the rest of the day on sick leave.

They were all in agreement: Brilliant!!

Maybe Governor Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature can afford to fiddle while California burns, but Coffee Break cannot.

Coffee Break has a government job. He eats (cookies). He drinks (milk). He has health problems (an injury). Coffee Break also has taxes to pay, a mortgage payment and various insurance premiums to pay. Coffe Break contributes to the economy.

Unlike those who live on royalities, interest, dividends, or other time-based income, Coffee Break is paid for the effort he puts-in. If Coffee Break cannot work his hours, he can not pay his taxes, mortgage payments, and insurance premiums. If Coffee Break cannot pay his taxes, the State of California can not collect the money to pay its bills. If Coffee Break and the State of California can not pay their bills, the country could even have a housing crisis, or a banking crisis, or a..., or a...

Is Coffee Break a problem, or the result of a problem? - 2q(Jim)

"A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain." Robert Frost

"The difference between genius and stupidity is genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

MISTAKEN IDENTITY NOT MISTAKEN
A lawyer walks into a restaurant with a duck under his arm.
The waiter says, "I'm sorry sir, we don't serve pigs."
The lawyer replies, "This is a duck, silly!"
To which the amused waiter calmly says, "I was talking to the duck."