Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Little Rock Government City workers accept pay freeze
Posted by Max Brantley on Wed, Jul 14, 2010 at 11:23 AM
AFSCME wants to note for the record that the Little Rock employees it represents, notably including sanitation workers, have agreed to give up a 3 percent pay raise this year and take 40 hours of additional time off instead.
Remember the garbage men and women when the City Board takes up continuing subsidies to the unaccountable Chamber of Commerce next year.
Comments (33)
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Cuts in wages and benefits have already occurred in the private sector. A few years ago many gave up wages that they have yet to recoup. Now some public sector employees are experiencing the same thing. The only level of government that appears to be exempt from cuts is the federal government. They are growing and increasing in pay and benefits. They already far exceed the private sector. So when are the feds going to cut? When is Congress going to cut their wages and benefits?
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Maybe in lieu of funding the Chamber, they can satisfy them by taking health insurance away from all public employees.
Why my tax dollars are being used for lobbyist TV ads instead of running the city, I have no idea, unless it goes back to a Stodola grudge against Vic Snyder.
The "small people" always take it up the rear. It's been the American Way for several decades. Take a moment and count all the ways the Chamber has blessed your life and then take another moment to consider voting everyone out at City Hall.
Come on, death, the small people end up on the short end of the stick in EVERY culture not just in America. When the small people become wealthier people then they do the same thing. In America the small people have a greater chance of becoming wealthier and sticking in to the ones they left behind. Where have you been all of your life? I thought you lived in Ft. Smith? What do you know about Little Rock?
Well those small folks are just lucky the local aristocracy allow them to work so the least they can do is give back a bit. All I know is that I am just glad that GOD (and Baby Jesus) is protecting our local gentry and the awesome Chamber of Commerce that does so, so much everyday for the people that really matter in this state.
MY GOD PEOPLE stop with the CLASS WARFARE it makes Harvey sad.....
I hate to introduce facts into the discussion, but actually in the US you have a lesser chance of becoming wealthy.
As wealth becomes concentrated, more money ends up in the hands of FEWER people. Fewer, not more. Fewer. Repeat after me. Fewer.
Only a conservative would argue that, for example, the fewer the number of cars in the US the higher your chance of owning one.
Oh, I am ready for the class warfare. I have watched 'Dr. Zhivago' at least 20 times. I'm a ready teddy!
roland, what planet do you live on? Of course, you have a better chance of becoming wealthier in this country than any other place on the face of the Earth. Why do you think all of the LEGAL immigrants come here? They flood this place because of the opportunity. Get Real!!!!!!!!!
DBI has been living in the United States of America and supporting it and the government of the United States of America. Complaining when he feels it is necessary and complimenting it when it operates as he expects or even better. DBI loves his country and expects more of the country and it's government, as he should. It is expectations by citizens, who in this country are the government, which causes and moves the government to reach and sometimes exceed the expectations.
It is for trolls and political partisan ideologues to merely accept inequity and unfairness because that's the way it has always been done or it meets the political expectations sufficiently.
Keep it up, DBI. I think you and I remember a favorite quote of Robert F. Kennedy from a George Bernard Shaw play "Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say why not?"
Expecting and demanding more of the United States of America and it's government, may be ludicrous and risible to trolls. However, to me and many of the ARTimes Bloggers, it is true patriotism and citizenship rather than the pin you wear or the public demonstrations of banner fealty.
The government serves us, we don't serve the government! Therein lies the most succinct difference that exists between us. When you expect the government to produce equitable RESULTS instead of equitable OPPORTUNITIES then end up bankrupting that nation with unrealistic expectations that are unattainable for human beings and an irresponsible use of the taxpayers wealth.
OK....that makes it all better. Harvey says all "small people" get screwed...all over the world! It's great to be on equal footing with my Cuban brothers and sisters. Except...gee....Cubans get free health care and free college educations for their kids. That makes the "small people" of America more screwed than Castro's folks.
If the workers in LR must take a pay cut, cain't they at least have some of the perks Cubans have? Do they have Chambers of Commerce in Cuba?
Yea, they get all of that free health care. Course they have to drive there in those 56 Chevys. Lucky guys! Can you imagine a whole nation of 56 Chevys and they aren't considered antique? Of course they have resorts too but they are reserved for the Europeans who have money. The Cubans make great waiters.
As my college football coaches use to say: if you don't like being on the 2nd or 3rd team then get on the 1st team! If you think as a garbage man, etc. that you're getting screwed, then get busy getting somewhere where you won't get screwed. Otherwise, shut the hell, quit your whining and continue to work hard with what you've made of your life. While I have a great appreciation and respect for garbage men and janitors and other jobs most people really don't want to do, why is it my fault or my problem that someone in those positions. I guarantee you, that to a person, each one of those individuals has made choices -- either through laziness, lack of ambition, lack of work ethic, bad decisions about schooling, drugs/alcohol, out-of-wedlock births that snuffed out another career path, whatever -- that were the difference in whether they were a garbage man or janitor or selling real estate in the Heights or a manager of the meat department at a grocery store. Life is really that simple. That's why if you live by and embrace Conservative values, you'll more likely than not end up doing a job other than being a garbage man or janitor.
The other thing is that these city workers also have pretty nice pensions -- paid for by the taxpayers, of course -- that are incredibly generous considering the amount of money the city workers actually contribute. This is the kind of thing that has helped to bankrupt many states and the kind of thing Gov. Christie of New Jersey is trying to put an end to.
Nice job of avoiding my point.
No, you do NOT have a greater chance of being wealthy here. There are no facts to support that, only disproven conservative theory.
If you want to believe in the tooth fairy, it's a free country, just don't expect the rest of us to believe it.
Harvey and FBL just tell me do you think the city should be paying money to the Chamber of Commerce when employees are taking pay cuts?
That's all I would like to know.
Please none of this BS in your answer:
"Otherwise, shut the hell, quit your whining and continue to work hard with what you've made of your life."
"I guarantee you, that to a person, each one of those individuals has made choices -- either through laziness, lack of ambition, lack of work ethic, bad decisions about schooling, drugs/alcohol, out-of-wedlock births that snuffed out another career path, whatever -- that were the difference in whether they were a garbage man or janitor or selling real estate in the Heights or a manager of the meat department at a grocery store."
OR
"Cuts in wages and benefits have already occurred in the private sector. A few years ago many gave up wages that they have yet to recoup. Now some public sector employees are experiencing the same thing. "
Look, you elected them and they made the decision to give money to the C of C. What is you complaint? Isn't that how representative democracy works? Are you saying that it is unusual for a city to give money to a local C of C? In my experience it is pretty common. If you don't like it elect some new Directors who will remove it. However, I wouldn't bet the farm on that happening. Don't you guys brag about how good the economy is here in Little Rock? Don't you think they have some contribution to that. I can't wait to hear Stodola say that he is pushing to have that removed. He would be gone in a New York minute.
It's pretty funny to read that we could all be LeBron James if we just worked hard enough. Assuming that the football analogy holds true for basketball.
It's also funny to read that when city employees have their pay cut, it's their own fault. My old company was the king of layoffs. We'd do 10,000 at a time. But we never thought about the angle of telling people it was their own fault for working for us in the first place. That is sheer unadulterated brilliance.
MICKEYMOUSE--I personally do not believe (i.e.: if I was a city director, I would vote against the allocation) that the city should be paying money to the chamber of commerce to promote the City of Little Rock and the surrounding communities.
Again, I take a stance that the city needs to only be in the business to provide those essential, barebone services that protect and ensure the safety of its citizens. Everything else needs to be left up to private enterprise who is usually/generally best at using the money THEY earned to spend it on whatever they think is in their best interests (usually being good civic citizens is in a business' best interests and hence they will usually do "good" or "right" things for the community or else suffer a consumer backlash).
Is that a "no-spin" enough answer?
If private businesses want to fund a civic organization called the "chamber of commerce" to promote the city to bring in other/more business (and consequently more jobs, etc.) that ultimately will help them make more money in their own private businesses then, well, that's their business. But it is not the business or concern of the City of Little Rock. That's the Conservative's viewpoint.
Having said all of that, as long as what the majority decides that governs the City of Little Rock (as elected by a majority of the eligible voting citizens of Little Rock) and it is within the parameters of the City's "constitution" (City Charter?), and doesn't violate the State Constitution or the United States Constitution, then that's what goes, whether you or I like it or not, and if we don't like it, then we need to winsomely educate the voting public about why the City of Little Rock governing bodies should be doing "this" or doing "that" particular thing and seek to elect people who will govern as we desire on particular things. Elections matter and elections have consequences.
Again, all of this is not difficult but really quite simple when you live by Conservative Principles and Values.
If the city were to spend tax dollars to attack John Boozman, the screams would be deafening. But if they spend tax dollars attacking Democrats, then that's OK. We have lots of money for that, don't we?
It's too bad the Yankees had to come along and upset the plantation system. All those happy Negroes didn't realize how good they had it. They had a hut to live in, a few plates of beans 'n fatback a day and got to sing spirituals all day at work.
Corporate Welfare in the United States
% of Foreign-owned Corporations doing Business in the US Paying ZERO US Taxes: 72 Percent
% of US Corporations paying ZERO US Taxes: 67 Percent
Effective Tax Rate paid by all Publicly Traded Corporations: 12 Percent
Effective Tax Rate Paid by Largest Multinationals: 25 Percent
US taxes paid by Exxon-Mobile paid on $37.3 Billion profit in 2009: ZERO
US taxes paid by General Electric on $10.3 Billion Profit in 2009: ZERO
US taxes Paid by Bailout Recipient Bank of America on $4.4 Billion Profit in 2009: ZERO
US Taxes Paid by Chevron on $18.5 Billion Profit in 2009: 200 million (1.1% Tax Rate)
US Taxes Paid by Verizon on $11.6 Billion Profit in 2009: 1.1 Billion (10% Tax Rate)
According to the Government Accountability Office, nearly three fourths of all foreign-owned corporations doing business inside the United States pay no taxes on that activity in multiple years between 1998 and 2005. Nearly the same amount of US-based corporations pay zero taxes to the United States Government. These facts fly in the fact of the ongoing Wall Street and corporate media narrative that US Corporations face the highest taxes in the world.
But that should come as no surprise: lying to the American public to cover up the pillaging of the nation is nothing new.
http://www.oldelmtree.com/index.php?topic=…
". . . The government serves us, we don't serve the government! Therein lies the most succinct difference that exists between us. . . ."
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. . . ." The founders and every citizen of the United States of America.
It is always fun to note how the trolls preach the United States Constitution, when they want to promote their ideological desire of the moment. However, whenever their choices are out of office or their favorite politicians "screw the pooch," or the Constitution doesn't suit their argument, the preamble to the constitution (it's synopsis) and the words of the most famous Republican ". . . government of the people, by the people, for the people . . ." become victims of convenient amnesia.
We, the people, are the government. We serve the government by complying with the laws and regulations, paying taxes, serving in the military to protect our country and constitution, and some of us, running for and holding public office. The government serves us by continuing to strive to provide, establish or continue the goals of the U.S. Constitution preamble . . . sometimes fabulously, sometimes adequately, sometimes poorly, but it is always intrinsically "my" or "our" government whether I like the current direction or not and we, the citizen's of the United States, are always responsible. To repeat a famous Democrat on responsiblity. "The Buck Stops Here!"
It's regrettable that some, especially those who interposed their fragile skin between harm and the United States, the citizens of the U.S, and/or the constitution of the United States never learned in school or realized in their service or experience that we are the government, good, bad or ugly.
eLood, these corporations are people per our SCOTUS so we should let them have ALL the opportunities of citizenship including paying the bills. Those people don't get the services they use from the feds or the state for free but, in fact, we subsidize them. If corporations don't pay taxes then that leaves me and you. Personally, I care more about you and me than their management and stockholders, many of whom are other big non-tax paying corporations. Most of the major companies, especially financial ones, are nothing more than a financial world-wide cartel exploiting people for their bonuses and not so much for their shareholders. In every company I worked for which include 7 of the top 1000, above a certain level, everyone was a bean-counter, mostlty concerned about the company's and their own welfare.
As I said at the time of the Bush wars, if Bush had had the guts to push through an income tax surcharge for his wars, they would have been over in 6 months. Cheney, Citibank, and Goldman would have seen to that.
And the state has an industrial development group that serves the whole state so why does the LRCoC need to be financed? Most of their local members get no services except for that damn wall plaque. The CoCs are run by the local big businesses who get to play with the member's money.
Yea, the yankees came along and showed us the way. Isn't it great that they shinned the light in the darkness so that the we could know what we needed to do? Yea, southern folks needed the yankee to do our thinking for us or we would have never known the way. Thank you, Mr. Yankee, for being smarter than us southern folks. Now we have exchanged the southern man's plantation for the federal government's plantation. We are so much better having mass'r feds doin our thinkin for us down here on the Washington plantation.
The government DERIVES its powers from the 'consent of the governed'. Does that sound familiar to any of you so called experts on the Constitution? If you don't understand that you have NO idea what Constitutional government is about. The rights of man are derived from providence and not from the government. If you don't understand this then you know NOTHING about the basic tenants of political thought in this country. The government derives its permission to exist from the people. When the government abuses that power or breaks that covenant it has no right to exist.
I know Harvey.
We never had any trouble with the negros in our town until those Yankees came along and reminded them that they had civil rights too.
Damn Yankees going and ruining our good thing.
"either through laziness, lack of ambition, lack of work ethic, bad decisions about schooling, drugs/alcohol, out-of-wedlock births that snuffed out another career path, whatever --"
Old FBL is doing the Superior Dance again......oh I loved that skit on Saturday Night Live a dozen years ago. I wonder if FBL has set aside money for his paid pallbearers yet? You just know he doesn't have 6 friends in this world.
I agree that how one turns out is a lot up to the individual. But...and it's a big BUT, a lot of it depends on a person's start in life. If you had no parents....that's a tough start. If you had terrible, neglectful parents who didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground...chances are you don't know your ass from a hole in the ground either. Whole families of idiots are common in these parts. Dumb as dirt usually produce dumb as dirt.
Dumb as dirt usually don't have career paths. Then add to that the FK'ed up children of people who never should have had kids in the first place. Kids physically abused, emotionally abused, sexually abused. Those types have a hell of a hard time getting themselves a career path going. Don't forget unwanted children whose mother had no access to a legal abortion.
We also must include those children born with learning disabilities, mental retardation, brain damage, and disabilities. You never see those types running Fortune 500 companies either.
FBL would be 100% right if every human in the world was born at zero and had the same opportunities at educating themselves and bettering themselves. But a whole bunch of adults started from way below zero and got kicked back down the ladder every time they got a rung up.
The horses at Oaklawn all start from the same place at the same time, all things being equal. I guess you could say those horses who finish at the back of the pack did so either through laziness, lack of ambition, lack of work ethic, bad decisions about schooling, drugs/alcohol, out-of-wedlock births that snuffed out another career path, whatever --
Worship the rich, blame the poor......I'm sure that's in the Bible somewhere.
Let's not get all constitutional. Not 1 out of 100 modern conservatives would pledge their fortunes, let alone their lives, for freedom. The modern conservative would simply petition the king for an exemption from taxes and start blogging about how the Native Americans are the real problem.
Amen DBI and I would include just dumb luck.
Some people are successful because they are just fucking lucky....
No, I am all for these yankees. Where would we be without them? Obviously they are smarter than we are so let's just roll over and acknowledge what hot shots they are and accept our fate. Gosh, I'm glad they are reinstalling the plantation system again. Since we southerners are so inherently dumb we need someone like Washington to do our thinking for us.
Government employees and union workers are the some of the few that have been able to avoid pay cuts as most private employers have had to reduce wages or benefits (or lay people off) to survive. 40 hours off in lieu of 3% cash is the same as about a 2% increase actually, so where is the sacrifice here?
All of you folks that don't like hate, sure seem to hate those who work hard and believe differently from you. Why is that?
SP, the only difference is that when your electric bill goes up, you can't give them one of your days off. People live their income. For most people, a drop of 1-2% in their pay makes the hamburger become chicken legs and quarters. Cut it more like CA 4-6 days a month off means whole lot less than just a change in eating patterns. Working for the city or state has usually meant making less pay than the private sector but with better health insurance and retirement since elimination of pension plans and social security is part of the rich's plan to keep more for themselves. Paul's idea of eliminating Social Security and Medicare shows the current beliefs in self reliance tend to forget the issues of the dust bowl and why such programs were needed at all. Those who hold the stock market as the be all and end all have very short memories and need to go back, read history, and look to see if their IRAs or 401K's ever got back up to where they were before the last collaspe. History has shown that the only big winners in the market are the big guys and the dealers who can influence the play and everyone else if just following the crowd and sheep do get sheared.
Couldn't be better,
If I may change up the last line in your post by replacing MARKET with "UNFETTTERED CAPITALISM" then I think we are facing the greatest challenge to our Constitution and democratic republic. These same institutions and people who brought us to the abyss of economic collapse are now posting record profits and are back in hiring mode. Perhaps some of Harvey's and FBL's "janitors and garbage men/women" can apply. They after all believe that these folks by their own "laziness" deserve what they get. Forget that the youngsters the investment banks and Wall Street firms are hiring from the Ivy's were largely born to privledge and will largely remain privleged all thier lives only to again pass privledge on to their kids. Nothing wrong with that, but just don't tell us it's the "fault" of the poor/uneduacted that they are indeed what they are -- poor. I have suggested before that you guys need to find the simulation game, Star Power. Play it and get some insight into the reality of mobility in this society. It rarely exists; the lucky sperm club [as Warren Buffet labels it] trumps the system every time. Hell, they ARE the system.
I think we share some of the same frustrations over being held hostage to those who manipulate the economy for their own selfish purposes. Continuing that behavior in an unfettered manner will destroy this country. The simple fact is that a prosperous and free society depends on a vibrant middle class. Much of the information presented above and much of what we have witnessed [economic disparity] in the past 2 years [hell, 3 decades] suggests that the levers of this society are in the hands of the moneymen who manipulate the economy at will. Their control is only magnified because of the political process which further puts the moneymen in control. McCain-Feingold was an imperfect start at recitifying that situation but look at what the conservative Supreme Court did last fall. They too are controlled by the moneymen, not directly like politicians, but indirectly by not seeing or accepting the reality of the country they are now adjuciating issues about.
So the next time you scream about "the government", go back and read the first three words to the Preamble - "We the People". That vests the power collectively in all our hands. To scream about the government is to scream at all of us. You need to move beyond that to hold accountable those people who really call the shots - the unfettered capitalists who, with their allies in OUR government, are distorting the fundamental promises of this country --- justice, tranquillity, and equal opportunity.
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