PUBLIC MONEY

FOR PERSONAL,

POLITICAL GAIN

EPIDEMIC CONTINUES

TO UNFOLD ON

THREE COASTS

The saga of the use of public money for personal and political gain continues on three coasts this morning. In Bell, California, a scandal of high council and employee wages has now led to the arrest of current and former councilmembers and other officials.

Several quotes in the Los Angeles Times tell the story:

'Eight current and former Bell city leaders were arrested Tuesday on charges of misappropriating more than $5.5 million from the small, working-class community as prosecutors accused them of treating the city's coffers as their personal piggy bank.

The charges follow months of nationwide outrage and renewed debate over public employee compensation since The Times reported in July that the city's leaders were among the nation's highest paid municipal officials.

"This, needless to say, is corruption on steroids," said Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley in announcing the charges. "This was calculated greed and theft accomplished by deceit and secrecy," Cooley said.'

But wait, there's more!

Let's return across the Atlantic, as a familiar controversy unfolds there as well! Writing in the UK's Telegraph newspaper, Philip Johnston criticizes the out-of-control-government-employee-salary-in-exchange-for-political-election-support tactic so familiar to residents of Montgomery County!!!

"Something has clearly gone seriously awry when pay for the top five per cent of earners in the public sector has risen by 51 per cent in the past 10 years. How has this happened?

Moreover, whereas work in the public sector used to be less well paid than in the private sector –a shortfall made good by greater job security and an enhanced pension –senior public servants now earn salaries that would not look out of place in the corporate world: today, they get both the salaries and the perks.

These high salaries have helped create an unhealthy "them and us" situation, with many in the private sector feeling that they are paying for generous remuneration and pension packages which they no longer enjoy themselves.

Even more galling is that we were told that public sector bosses deserved high salaries to stop them leaving for (or to attract them from) the private sector, and to ensure the best people are running our services. [<---Wait a minute, there's that George Leventhal argument again!!!]

Yet, while the costs have gone up, we have not seen a commensurate improvement in services or in efficiency."

As they attempt to "buy" council seats with six-figure developer/special interest campaign accounts - and tens of thousands of dollars in union and out-of-county donations - Marc Elrich, Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal and Hans Riemer represent the vanguard of a new movement: one that requires you, the private citizen, to subsidize superior compensation for public employees, even as you struggle under the burden of Montgomery County's recession and Draconian taxes.

It's outrageous.

Send a powerful message to them, by VOTING for a fiscally responsible and ethical county council on November 2nd.