INGA BARKS: We're more like Bell than you might think
| Friday, Aug 13 2010 06:00 PM
Last Updated Friday, Aug 13 2010 06:00 PM
Bell, California. Population 40,000. Median income $30, 000 -- unless you're the city council, police chief or city manager. When first reported by the Los Angeles Times that Bell's city manager alone made nearly $800,000 (if you include paid leave and bennies, about $1.5 million annually), folks were stunned. When further discoveries showed the council made $100,000 a year and the police chief made more than his peers, Bell took to the streets.
As more stories surfaced of alleged voter fraud and criminal activity, I saw two responses: Shock and anger that government could be so brazen and others who said, "You get the government you vote for."
Before we thank God we aren't like the citizens of Bell, let's
consider how Kern County -- and in fact the state -- is like Bell.
Now, I'm not saying voters are idiots or ill-informed -- well, not most of them. We're busy, and to some degree we trust our leaders to do the right thing and tell us the truth at election time. Our local guy wouldn't lie to us, right?
Take the citizens of Bell, for instance, who voted to give their leaders power to decide their own salaries. It's hard to imagine voters would put the foxes in charge of the henhouse, but they did.
Having not seen that ballot myself, I don't know what the wording was but I'm guessing if the ballot said, "A yes vote gives your city council the power to take your tax dollars to pay themselves more than most of you will ever see in your lives," the vote would be NO. Who would give such power to people who clearly weren't working in their best interest? And how does this relate to us smart people outside Bell proper?
Off the top of my head, but not limited to:
* Propositions 57 and 58 (2004). Among other things, they promised economic recovery if we would just lend the state $15 billion to fund THEIR overspending. (Kern passed them overwhelmingly).
The 2004 deficit was $22 billion. Six years later it was $20 billion. You do the math.
AFTER the $15 billion dollar loan AND the historic 2009 tax increase to pay down the deficit, WE voted to pay for what they have spent, are spending and will spend. Like Bell, we believed our leaders had our best interests at heart. But like Bell, our vote gave them power to fund themselves and their special interests.
* Since 1996, Californians have passed five water bonds worth nearly $15 billion. With titles like "clean water, clean air, safe parks," who could vote no?
* In November we will be asked to vote yes on some measures that sound really good but, in Bell-like fashion, serve those who put it on the ballot more than you. I randomly looked at Propositions 21 and 25. Proposition 21 sounds awesome! Vote yes and pay just $18 a year per car every year for the rest of your life and save state parks! AND you'll get free daytime admission to those parks all year!
It's sponsored by people we trust or vote for. But let me ask you: How many cars do you have? How many times a year do you pay to go to state parks? Does this vote pay park admission for Proposition 21 supporters or you? I'm just sayin', do you go that often? Furthermore, do you want to let lawmakers off the hook once again for their failure to budget for parks? Is this your fault?
Proposition 25 is even better! It's sponsored by state employee unions and promises that a YES vote will eliminate late state budgets. That's a good thing, right? No more IOUs or furloughs. Every debt and state employee paycheck will be paid on time. I bet, just like folks in Bell, Californians will support 25 without reading it.
But Proposition 25 eliminates the supermajority currently required for tax hikes. If it passes, we'll have budgets on time, all right. Just like Bell, we'll give our leaders the power to decide how much to take and spend. History shows they will spend it on their interests. (You pay state legislators tens of thousands more than you probably make. Their staff is paid well, too. Are they making your life better? That's their job, you know).
Just like Bell, we have voted and will be asked to vote again to give our leaders more power and money. But unlike Bell, will we first scrutinize the fox asking for control of the hens? Or, like Bell, will we learn the embarrassing lesson after the fact?
-- Inga Barks, who hosts a talk show on KMJ AM 580, is one of four conservative community columnists whose work usually appears in The Californian one Saturday a month. These are the opinions of Barks, not necessarily The Californian. You can e-mail her at ibarks@bakersfield.com.
