Democracy: September 2008 Archives

California's elected Republicans continue to block any and all efforts to pass a budget, because any honest budget must ask the wealthy and big corporations to pay their fair share. Even the Governor's extremely modest one cent sales tax increase was too much for them.

So let's talk about paying a fair share. David Sirota has a good column today at the Campaign for America's Future blog, The Aristocrats, Part II - Starring George Will. In the column Sirota writes about wealthy Republicans who complain when regular people get decent pay for performing services that benefit ... guess who ... wealthy Republicans. Sirota writes,

In a column about underfinanced municipal pension systems today, Will expresses deep anger that veteran police, firefighters and municipal workers eventually get paid well for their services. In one California town on San Francisco Bay, Will tells us that - gasp! - "after just five years, all police and firefighters are guaranteed lifetime health benefits." The horror.

Such salaries and benefits, of course, are part of a bargain: Enticing people to turn down the high-paying private-sector job and instead run into burning buildings (firefighters), do the dangerous work of apprehending criminals (police), disposing of sewage (garbage collectors) and administrating all the other services that conservatives pretend aren't necessary (municipal workers) requires, well, an enticement - namely, the promise that making such a public-minded choice will result in decent and stable pay and benefits.

When you accept a public sector job, that's the bargain: In exchange for being willing to do a tough job and accepting that you won't have the chance to make hundreds of millions dollars like a corporate CEO, you are rewarded with the chance - if you play by the rules - to make a pretty good living.

Yes, there is a BARGAIN at work here. We, the People have built a system that has been working pretty darn well for the rich. We built a system of roads, schools, courts, police departments and firefighters. We built up a system of laws. We work in the factories and offices.

The following was submitted by Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi:

When I was sworn in as the first woman Speaker of the House in January, my 8-year-old granddaughter Madeleine said she hoped because of my step forward, more women would also be able to have jobs like mine. With those words, Madeleine spoke a simple but powerful truth: Without the pioneering women who have blazed the trail before us, we would not have come nearly as far as we have today.

When I proudly assumed the role of Speaker, it was with a nod to both the past and to the future. It was in honor of those pioneering suffragettes and women whose tenacity and sacrifice allowed me to become the first woman Speaker. And it was in honor of our children, who represent our hope for the future and for change. At the time, I said that we have made history, and now we must make progress.