Heroes Or Hustlers?

I was at an OC Board of Supervisors meeting recently and heard some public employee union lackey talk about mid-level county bureaucrats as "heroes."

That's not been my experience. They're decent enough people, and most of them do have a sense of serving the public -- but they've selected their jobs for the comfort of low stress, good benefits and lush retirement plans. That does not a hero make.

Pension reform and teacher tenure reform are on the California ballot this year, and last night a couple zingers in support of reform came out of a forum in Irvine:

"There are fifteen boards and commissions in the State of California that pay their members over $100,000 a year to show up once a month. Does that seem fair to you?" former Assemblyman Strickland asked a large audience of shaking heads. "We can’t account for twenty-five percent of the state’s fleet of vehicles. The situation is unacceptable."

"Government offers twenty-six percent higher benefits on average than the private sector," explained [OC] Treasurer John Moorlach. "The unions have just done a great job at securing these amenities, and they’re sore winners. This is your tumor. We need pension reform in this state."

Yes, we do. (source)