Gov. Schwarzenegger of California wants to cuts the pay of 200,000 state workers to minimum wage until a budget is passed (then pay it back.) The state controller says he will not implement it, setting the stage for court battles.
Thus, the Banrupterator is cynically and deliberately using state workers as pawns in a political game of chicken. I’m sure their mortgage companies and landlords will understand when they can’t pay the mortgage or rent because they made $6.65 an hour last month rather than their regular pay.
Of course jobs vital to public safety will be exempt. Don’t want the California Highway Patrol or the politically sacrosanct prison guards union angry at the governor or god forbid, to stop making political contributions.
I think it’s a great idea, but targeted at the wrong folks. He should reduce the pay of the legislators until the budget is passed. Unfortunately, I don’t think he has the legal power to do that.
I’ve never understood why any legislative body is in charge of it’s own funding. They should be funded from a separate source controlled by a member of the judiciary and/or executive branch. It’s the right way to keep checks and balances. (Pun intended…)
Woody, I don’t really think he has the legal power to reduce the state workers’ budgets either, does he? I’m not sure if he does or not, but it would seem to be a bit on the wacky side for a governor to be able to just reduce these peoples’ salaries just because he thinks it’s a good idea.
This is a typical conservative reaction to a crisis: Clobber it over the head with the biggest, heaviest sledgehammer you can find and hope it doesn’t get back up again.
Apparently he does have the legal power.