Safety First....

I've been working on the railroad...
singalong!

Mike Stoker doesn't have a snowball's chance in Simi Valley of becoming a state Assemblyman..first of all, he can't identify the reason for California's fiscal problems..instead he relies on old neoconservative cliches that the News-Press dredges up for him...the unions, public employees and taxes are to blame! The biggest problems in California are stupid voters and poor leadership..just look at Arnold for the last six years; then look at big PRIVATE corporations like Tobacco. They get special treatment and tax loopholes when they buy politicians like Tony Strickland, who I saw in front of Motel 6 in Carp a few days ago..he sure likes it here.. and who do you think owns Stoker? OIL!!! the same oil men who have been getting rich manipulating prices and spilling without conscience!! dumb voters!
I think Travis and Mike, a couple of flunkie lawyers, need a civics lesson:
the public and private sector are two different entities..the private sector is in business to make a profit..they will cut corners often at the expense of worker safety, in order to save money..if a municipality cuts corners, the worker has the right to complain and rectify the situation..in private industry, you get fired! The perfect example is Greka Oil, a private company with lax standards...most people think of Greka, they think of incompetent operations and oil spills..and Stoker was spokesman for this outfit..spill after spill..what do you think would happen if the City of Santa Barbara or Goleta or Montecito or Summerland or Carp started flooding the streets with sewage every few months? They'd be fined and heads would roll...but you have to be a state certified operator to run the treatment plants in these town so chronic spills aren't going to happen..now, who is really looking out for taxpayers dollars..the city workers or guys like Stoker who is on the board of the SBCTA!! who are these nitwits trying to fool?? they are pegging the BS meter!
　
If the cities don't respond to a safety complaint, the workers can organize and unionize..that is a fundamental American right..the workers are represented by the union in negotiations, where the issues are hammered out and agreed upon...the MOU contains important items for employees such as proper safety equipment, working environment, etc..it may cost a little more time to ensure that the employees won't be subject to the whims of the employers, but an unsafe work environment is no joke... cities are not perfect, but they're are 100% better than most in the the private sector..the GAP fire was caused by a private ranch that had NO SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM! Such an incident would not be allowed to happen within the city safety rules...another example is private plumbing services: they will allow workers to enter manholes without testing the confined space for deadly gas...public entities with a safety program will not allow this!
The NewsPress and other Pressies esp the Wendy brown nosers at the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association like to hold the private sector up as a model..but that is silly..anyone who works for a living knows the glaring differences between the two. Occasionally, cities will hire a private firm to do specialized work, and that firm goes through a city safety presentation..they can't cut corners..and the city workers will report them if they try! Public/private partnerships are good when used sparingly...
Mellow Yellow...
The retirement benefit issue is simply yellow journalism by the News-Press:demonize public workers and unions..Yellow journalism, in short, is biased opinion masquerading as objective fact. Moreover, the practice of yellow journalism involved sensationalism, distorted stories, and misleading images for the sole purpose of boosting newspaper sales and exciting public opinion.
　
...the pensions are secured by law the cities and employee pay a portion into the worker's retirement account...sometimes the city pays nothing depending on the collective bargaining agreement...if you have been working for the city for 25 years, you have paid into your own retirement! The neonuts don't like this because they know they will have to treat their employees like people instead of pack mules! That is why the News-Press editorializes about unions and pensions: fear of the empowered worker! and of course they want the working class to take the blame for the recession when all evidence is to the contrary.. ENRON, AIG etc.
CALPERS represents California state and city workers and is worth about 180 billion dollars...that's nice to know when you retire...it has a portfolio and invests in the markets..the News-Press thinks the stock market meltdown and fraud has nothing to do with pension funds..huh? Of course it does..that's why we need to ferret out the criminals like Madoff because they don't care about your working carreer..ENRON is a prime example of private corporation corruption...not everyone gets their money from rich ex-husbands, some steal it from the working class!!
recently, CalPERS sues credit-rating firms over $1 billion in investment losses
The California public pension fund alleges Standard & Poor's, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings issued 'wildly inaccurate' risk assessments
TIMES
blaming gov't pensions for the recession is more nonsense from the News-Press..they repeat the same old lies highlighting a few "big" salaries, but these have relatively little to do with the recession that the whole of America and every municipality in California is dealing with...the Newpress and its pet candidates don't understand how the city works!! Instead they use myths, lies and generalities to support their arguments..all this in an effort to bust the unions with yellow journalism..
Fe Fi Fiddley I Oh...