Fish This: Burning the Budget
Some things in life are perfectly predicable. Things like physics and math. They’re not really that difficult to understand, but some people in our society are a little slower than others.
For example, next week there will be idiots who put a frozen turkey into a vat of hot liquid fat because #Merica. Despite many public service announcements to the contrary, stupidity will have its unavoidable and predicable consequences.
Tonight Fullertonians will miss out on the discussion taking place behind closed doors at City Hall concerning the state of the city’s budget. Voters won’t get to hear about the new contract negotiations designed to help the massive multi-million dollar structural deficit, the $100,000,000 in deferred infrastructure maintenance, or the equally massive unfunded pension debt. Instead, we’ll get a null report from The Other Dick Jones ™, and the facade of all being well will continue into this year’s planned First Night festivities.
Like so many idiots with a tank of propane, recent City Councils had fair warning of the current financial crisis. The math just isn’t that hard to understand. Every year, every single year, since each of their elections, Fullerton has spent more from the general fund than it has taken in. Tens of millions of dollars in reserves have evaporated. *POOF* gone, without a trace.
At the current rate, Fullerton may be bankrupt in two years.
This Thanksgiving, while you’re enjoying your non-idiot prepared bird, I want you to remember tonight’s secret city council meeting. I also want you to remember a meeting held just last year.
Just last year, the council authorized the largest pay raises for staff in a decade.
“The budget is balanced!” — Jennifer Fitzgerald
“Fullerton is in excellent financial shape!’ — Jan Flory
Well, the math simply doesn’t lie. The budget was not balanced and the city was not in excellent financial shape. Jen and Jan dunked their frozen bird and lambasted all the chronic malcontents who protested their fine stewardship.
*POOF*
Like that, Joe Felz hit a tree, and their financial bird exploded, the raging predictable disaster apparent for all to see.
Tonight the Fullerton City Council will likely authorize reducing pay and benefits for city employees, just in time for the holidays. When this is over, some employees will have their salaries reduced or their hours cut. Others will simply lose their jobs. Many of those individuals are good people who do good work. This isn’t their fault, but it will be their house that gets burned down and it will be their life that gets ruined.
Now Jen and Jan, two of those responsible for dunking this turkey? Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. Jen just gave herself a $9000 raise and Jan retired.
Seems just, don’t you think?
As Fullerton is flushed down the porcelain bowl I can’t think of five people better able to handle the crisis than our esteemed city council.
Good one.
Chaffee? Fitzgerald? Whitaker? Seabourn? All completely useless. And then there’s Jesus Silva, Fullerton’s affirmative action councilman. That guy is so fucking stupid you have to wonder if somebody didn’t take his tests for him in school.
Bring back Flory! Service with a sneer!
I hope Jan Flory lives long enough to see her handiwork. All those hotdogs she eats can’t be good for her health.
What’s expected of the new employees of the city? Many new people have no ‘hand-in-the-pot’ of problems. Is there any solution down the road to fix this deficit? Does any employees retirements that are planned effect the budget?
Get rid of the useless Nicole Bernard and save $200,000 a year right there.
Good thing we’ll have a fab First Night party to celebrate our greatness. We can at least put on a display of conspicuous consumption as we circle the drain.
We need to keep that thing going. How else is Germ Popoff going to make a buck on a Monday night?
Don’t worry. Staff time was specially prioritized to allow more people into bars over other important work.
Want a business permit or need plans reviewed? Get in line. We have occupancy increases to rubber stamp first!
Out source the whole G D thing! No pensions, no winers, just people who wanna work.
Fullerton should follow Yorba Linda’s example and end retirement credit for council members. Then we will all see how self serving every member of the council is.
End medical coverage as well
City of Fullerton’s megadeficit smells less like flaming turkey and more like cronyism and nepotism so to maintain the lifestyle of the rich and infamous, the pillars of Fullerton’s society, our public servants. Their salaries and pensions are enormous carved from exorbitant water, trash fees, draconian parking ticket fines, and refusal to maintain our infrastructure like water pipes and sewers. Couple that fact with the fact that Fullerton PD’s murders, molestations, perjuries, and assortment of broken bones to detainees, has cost the good people of Fullerton millions of dollars that should not have been diverted to buy off victims or their loved ones but instead used to serve the needs of Fullerton’s populace. But it gets worse, the inflation of Fullerton’s government services wrapped in officious names merely replicate other services provided by the county and or state. These agencies do serve a purpose, though. If your friend needs a job and you are connected, make one for him or her. Better yet, make a job for your friend then rent one of your properties to him or her; rent guaranteed on the first of every month. 2018’s catchphrase for Fullerton will be “The party is over”.
One wonders how the budget issue will be addressed by Jesus (I don’t know my sorry ass from my elbow), Chaffee (let’s put off the bad news a little bit longer) and Fitzgerald (the budget is balanced). A sales or utility tax must be the only solution they can offer. Will they enact it or will they put it to a vote? Westminster approved such a tax because the cops and medics poured in a fortune to promote the “save our town (i.e. protect our salaries) side of the issue. Of course as soon as the tax was passed the council issued raises for everybody.
Fullerton’s voter apathy combined with self-serving political contributions towards those user-friendly for public servants candidates and the usual scare tactic vote for more taxes or you will die corrupts representative government at the municipal level. It results only in the vested few voting for a politician who doesn’t serve the public only public servants.