So much
for austerity.
In his
first billion-dollar giveaway that places Union bosses ahead of struggling
taxpayers, Governor Jerry Brown shows in deed that it’s business as usual at
the Capitol these days.
On
Monday, the Senate is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill (SB) 151 – the quickest
giveaway of taxpayer dollars to a political ally that I can remember in recent
history.
In a
deal between Governor Jerry Brown and the prison guards’ Union in California
last week, Brown agreed to a contract that removes the limit of vacation days
and other days off that prison guards can "cash in" on when they retire – all
at their highest rate of pay. We’re talking big money here. Nearly a billion
dollars. Now, I know that prison guards work hard. In fact, I’ve been on a tour
to one of their facilities with a candidate, and I appreciate their keeping us
safe despite a skirmish in the yard. But come on. Under the current system,
prison guards are already entitled to eight weeks of vacation annually. I know
of no other employee (hard worker or not) who has that much time off, outside
of maybe France.
California
already pays $49,000 per year to jail a single inmate, compared to the national
average of $28,000. This deal could cost taxpayers in California hundreds of
millions of dollars. And the worst part? Lawmakers (yes, even in both parties)
seem prepared to rubber stamp the deal on Monday.
It’s
time to throw this deal into solitary. All citizens who are concerned about the
future of this state, and worse – the shameless payback to a Union group who
contributed $2 million to Governor Brown’s gubernatorial campaign – should show
their outrage at this pay-to-play system. At a time when Governor Brown
has asked us all to sacrifice for the greater good, no good comes of robbing
the taxpayers to pay back political friends when we are in a dire budget
crisis.
Click here to contact your Legislator and tell them to
vote NO on SB 151. The vote is Monday. Do it today.