5 posts tagged “california”
Wow, it is pretty obvious that the republicans (and more specifically Schwarzenegger) have run out of ideas on how to actually run a government. Here's the story today that Arnold has decided that the way to balance the state's budget is to slash almost all of the state employee's salaries to the Federal minimum wage. Are you an attorney working for the State Attorney General? Minimum wage for you! How about the engineers who build your roads? Minimum wage! CHP? Minimum. Better get to the DMV quick - I'd hate to see how much more surly the DMV workers will be with their paychecks slashed...
I have an idea - how about we have a government which actually acts like serious adults, rather than petulant children? I really don't understand how something utterly stupid like this could actually be thrown out as a serious policy proposal by any government official. Do they really think that this will really help the state's budget? Hmmm, I guess having 90 percent of the state's jobs go vacant would help the budget in the short term, of course, no republican thinks about long-term devastation of the state government's ability to function, so who cares?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans next week to slash the pay of more than 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum of $6.55 per hour to help ease the state's budget crisis, according to a draft executive order obtained by The Chronicle on Wednesday.
But administration officials, who asked to remain anonymous, said that about 200,000 of the state's 245,000 workers, both hourly and salaried, will see their pay trimmed back to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour, saving the state up to $1.2 billion a month. Dropping the temporary and short-time workers will save an additional $28.5 million each month.
But the governor's plan could face an immediate challenge from Democratic state Controller John Chiang, who will continue to pay state workers their full salaries, even in the face of Schwarzenegger's executive order, said Hallye Jordan, a spokeswoman for the controller. The governor will have to take Chiang to court if he wants to stop him, she said.
"The controller hasn't seen any executive order, but he would urge the governor to rethink his proposal," she said. "This hasn't been addressed by the courts and if it's ruled illegal, it could cost the state a tremendous amount in damages."
"Cutting workers' salaries will do nothing meaningful to improve our cash position," he said in a statement. The executive order is "nothing more than a poorly devised strategy to put pressure on the Legislature to enact a budget."
"We are the victims of the incompetence of the Legislature and Gov. Schwarzenegger," said Jim Zamora, a spokesman for SEIU Local 1000, which represents 95,000 state workers. "Because they can't sit down and pass a balanced budget, state workers must live in fear of having their wages slashed as much as 90 percent. We are not chess pieces, we are real people."
Emily Clayton, policy coordinator for the California Labor Federation, added: "Holding state workers hostage is not a fair way to get to a budget agreement."
Last night, news broke that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign an Executive Order on Monday slashing the wages of over 200,000 state employees to the bare minimum.
Not California's minimum wage of $8 per hour. The federal minimum wage of $6.55. Six dollars and fifty-five cents an hour.
Imagine trying to pay your bills on $6.55 an hour. Now imagine what will happen to thousands of vital service workers forced to live on poverty-level wages. A nauseating irony: many state employees may need to seek aid from the very state services that employ them.
You have to hand it to the Bush administration, they are really good at accomplishing the tasks at which they are interested. You see, the whole crew has two basic points of focus; expanding presidential power at the expense of the judiciary and legislative branches of government, and destruction of any government oversight or regulation of business interests. Throw in a generous helping of disdain for virtually any government function, and you have yourself a Bush administration.
Here's a good example of how the Bushies are perfectly willing to sacrifice people's lives in defense of every effort to avoid any regulation on business - "Popcorn Lung." You may have heard of it from the several news reports which have covered the issue in the past six months or so.
Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.
Within months, they concluded that the workers became ill after exposure to diacetyl, a food-flavoring agent.
But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, charged with overseeing workplace safety, reacted with far less urgency. It did not step up plant inspections or mandate safety standards for businesses, even as more workers became ill.
Ok, so after all of the news reports, the State of California has moved to ban diacetyl, and its enactment seems likely soon. Since the Bushies had appointed industry lobbyists to administer the Federal OSHA, those guys were not going to act on their own to regulate the substance. In fact, during the whole Bush administration, OSHA has not issued A SINGLE rule on workplace safety, not a single one.
Since OSHA has been captured by the manufacturers which it is supposed to regulate, the only way to ban this substance is through legislation in Congress. In fact, Congress has done just that, and the House is about to pass a law which would require OSHA to promulgate rules on diacetyl exposure. Guess what... the Bushies have come out against the bill. What a surprise! I guess they figure that the workers whose lives are destroyed just aren't worth the bother...
I just went on a great classic car rally. This is the car version of the Moto Melee which I went on in June. The roads are just amazing here in Northern California, they are just perfect for bombing a bunch of old cars through the twisties. This year there were over 70 old jalopies which made the run. There was everything from a Ferarri Dino down to a beater Opel Kadett, and just about everything in between. The rally takes three days, and covers around a thousand miles, so the old cars get a real workout.
We rolled in the '66 Benz, which thankfully did just fine. It is a bit of a heavy car for some of the crazy corners that the route winds through, but otherwise was a good car for the Melee. I'm putting the old girl up for sale, so if you know anyone who wants a sweet vintage ride, send them my way. Here are some pictures (the first two were taken by Craig, and the others by me), the last picture is a link to a "collection" of pictures.
This was posted on the Moto Melee list today... and I think it really sums up what this ride is all about. I'll be riding my '62 BMW this weekend on a 1000 mile ride through the nether regions of the state of Northern California. I've done it before several times on the bike, and once in my Alfa Romeo for the car version of this rally. This is, by far, the best motorcycle ride I have ever done, and is something that I will continue to do as long as I can. It is both fun and grueling, and covers some of the most beautiful areas of California. Tomorrow is the day for my last minute preparations, I can't wait!
June 22-25 MotoMelee.
This weekend is the infamous MotoMelee, the 700 mile, two and a half
day ride for vintage motorcycles held in Northern California. Now in
its tenth year, quite an accomplishment for the organizers Harley
Welch and Jeff Guzaitis, and still on a shoe string budget of break-even.What started as a secret ride for vintage motorcycle enthusiasts, the
brain child of Harley and Jeff as a way to get some of their buddies
on the road and spur more business for Harley's "Secret Lab" vintage
motorcycle shop, has turned in to a famous bay area vintage motorcycle
event.This event, over the years, has had participants from around the world
and has achieved the cult status of such other legendary rides like
the Iron Butt. People from all over the world, who ride vintage, have
heard tales of this ride.
There are tall tails of hooligan type activities and speeds previous
thought to be unachievable. Of parties that last all night and
motorcycle shenanigans. Wild nights of wine women/men and song.
Motorcycle contests of skill and frivolity, attempts that would make
Evil Kenivel proud, trashed motel rooms, ala Rock Stars, burn outs and
crashes, even a motorcycle hung in effigy.
All of which, at some point during the past ten years, are most likely
true; but the genuine heart of the ride is what it brings to the
forefront. Motorcycles of antique stature, legendary makes, rare and
restored models and some just thrown to together hodgepodge just
nights before.
It also brings together a group of extraordinary people who by being
so dedicated to the true purpose of the machines are willing to put on
the line their blood, sweat and rolls of cash to see this event
through. The true purpose, which is to use these motorcycle as they
were designed to be ridden.The route is hard and long, the weather is harsh and at times
uncooperative, extreme is the word that comes to mind. From 115-degree
siring heat to snow at higher elevations to 44 degrees and wet damp
fog in a matter of hours, or mild temperatures to torrential down
pours within 100 miles. The Melee carries with it the element of
uncertainty and anticipation.Every participant knows the risks, knows the challenges and knows the
spoils.
Each participant is a kith and kin to each other, bound by the Melee
stickers on their helmets or on their bikes. It's camaraderie at its
highest point, a buddy system with no written rules or guidelines. All
the participants care about every rider and everyone does what they
can to ensure everyone finishes.The truest of tales of the Melee are those of riders working all night
on another's bike to help them make the morning call, barrowing parts
from a disabled bike in the chase truck to help another rider
continue. The towing of a participants bike the last 30 miles to make
sure he was not left alone on the side of the road. The sharing of
gas, those last 12 miles to the gas stop can be the longest miles of
the whole trip.
The MotoMelee is more than just another vintage ride, or test of man
and machine. It's human to human, it's a shared love of vintage bikes
and hard long rides.I look forward to this ride all year; it's hard on my machines and me.
I look forward to the start, to see old friends, make new ones, to see
what machines are brought out to test on this ride, but most of all,
it's the most damn fun I've had on a motorcycle in years.
So let's just say I'm a truck driver. And I have a load of thousands of gallons of highly flamable gasoline. It is three in the morning. There's no traffic on the road. I'm on a straight road, with gentle curves, where there are any. I'm thinkin, "hey man, this whole not crashing thing is for dummies... I'mma crash my rig right now!" Unfortunately for everyone else, that just so happened to be right where three major freeways that connect the entire San Francisco Bay Area come together. Right next to the Bay Bridge and an area which carries something like a quater of a million cars per day. Ok, so I'm going to crash there. Cool. But the idiot really picked the right spot, because he did it right under a major raised overpass, and the freaking inferno he unleased MELTED the freakin freeway above him. What a total jackass! Now the freeway that I take to get home from SF is a pile of molten lava pancaked on top of one of the busiest freeway sections in the Bay Area. What joy. Tens of millions of dollars later, months and months from now, things might be back to "normal" for here, which is bascially grilock in front of Berkeley on 80... but until then, that freeway is going to be a total disaster area. I guess I'm taking the scenic route from now on when going north!
