Letters to the Editor, June 24, 2009

California’s budget problems

Well, here we go again. We are deep in debt. And few want to really look at the solution. There will be no lasting solution as long as the present legislators remain in office (spend and tax, spend and tax thinkers).

The left had does not know what the right hand is doing or doesn’t care. Look at a good example of this below.

A Legislative committee voted to dismantle at least eight offices. At the same time (the first three months of 2009) the state government hired 1,362 new full time state employees.

The cost to us taxpayers is listed below at just $10 per hour. They are really being paid much more that that, but I’ll use the $10 per hour for my illustrations.

Cost for 1,326 employees per hour = $13,620.

Cost for 1,362 employees per day = $108,960.

Cost for 1,326 employees per week = $544,800.

Cost for 1,362 employees per month = $2,342,640.

Cost for 1,362 employees per year = $28,111,680.

Tell me where the savings are.

The state and federal government are to big and are doing things that are not allowed in the Constitution. Do they really care? Not in the least.

But, if both the state and federal government reduced their staffs and programs by 50 percent, there would be more than enough funds to get out of debt and stay out of debt without raising taxes.

We, the people, do not need government micromanaging our lives.

Von Atkinson, Newberry Springs