Arnie Paying His Staff Well
The Associated Press recently obtained the payroll records of the Governor's Office and found that Gov. Schwarzenegger is spending more on his staff than his predecessor, Gray Davis, despite the fact that Arnie's staff is smaller.
Doesn't show much respect for taxpayers? When Arnie came into office the first two major changes he made were to repeal the car tax hike and revoke legislation allowing drivers licenses for illegal aliens, both of which will save taxpayers millions of dollars.
And it doesn't end there. Arnie has resisted the siren-call of raising taxes to help eliminate the state's enormous debt left behind by Gray Davis' massive spending increases. He had promised voters that he wouldn't raise taxes and so far he has kept that promise despite recent polls that have shown that the public would agree to a tax hike.
He has also been able to convince a Democrat-dominated state legislature to make spending cut after spending cut and even pass a state budget on time (which will not include any tax hikes) for the first time since 2000.
He convinced voters to pass measures capping spending and to sell $15 million in bonds to refinance the state's past debts.
He bullied the legislature into passing Workers Compensation reforms that will result in less fraud and a cut in premiums for businesses across the state. A cut in premiums will likely mean that businesses in California will be more profitable which also means more jobs.
And don't forget, Governor Schwarzenegger works for free. He has declined to accept his salary choosing instead to put it back into the budget.
How's that for respecting the taxpayers?
Yet with all these accomplishments the Associated Press still feels that the raises the Governator gave to his staffers is worthy of the scandal-implicating article linked above.
Heck, I think they deserve the raises. Why not? They're doing one hell of a job with the mess that was handed to them by Davis and the Democrats.
LOS ANGELES - Even as he calls for shared sacrifice to solve the state's financial crisis, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is spending more than his predecessor on salaries for his official staff, an Associated Press investigation found.
Schwarzenegger has slightly fewer employees than Gov. Gray Davis did toward the end of his term, but is spending nearly 8 percent more on salaries. He is also paying more six-figure incomes within his inner circle than Davis did.
"For a governor who came to office saying he would cut the government, he seems to have really pumped it up, at least salaries for his inner circle," said Jamie Court, a consumer activist with the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "It doesn't show much respect for taxpayers."
Doesn't show much respect for taxpayers? When Arnie came into office the first two major changes he made were to repeal the car tax hike and revoke legislation allowing drivers licenses for illegal aliens, both of which will save taxpayers millions of dollars.
And it doesn't end there. Arnie has resisted the siren-call of raising taxes to help eliminate the state's enormous debt left behind by Gray Davis' massive spending increases. He had promised voters that he wouldn't raise taxes and so far he has kept that promise despite recent polls that have shown that the public would agree to a tax hike.
He has also been able to convince a Democrat-dominated state legislature to make spending cut after spending cut and even pass a state budget on time (which will not include any tax hikes) for the first time since 2000.
He convinced voters to pass measures capping spending and to sell $15 million in bonds to refinance the state's past debts.
He bullied the legislature into passing Workers Compensation reforms that will result in less fraud and a cut in premiums for businesses across the state. A cut in premiums will likely mean that businesses in California will be more profitable which also means more jobs.
And don't forget, Governor Schwarzenegger works for free. He has declined to accept his salary choosing instead to put it back into the budget.
How's that for respecting the taxpayers?
Yet with all these accomplishments the Associated Press still feels that the raises the Governator gave to his staffers is worthy of the scandal-implicating article linked above.
Heck, I think they deserve the raises. Why not? They're doing one hell of a job with the mess that was handed to them by Davis and the Democrats.
