California Lawmakers' Cars Stolen

Well, not exactly "stolen." The California Citizens Compensation Commission (aka the Ebenezer Scrooge Commission) had the nerve to take away the legislators' perk of driving a state-purchased car (i.e. taxpayer-purchased car). The moans and groans from Sacramento could be heard all the way down here in Caliente (300 miles, as the buzzard flies).

The move is designed to save $2.3 million over five years. That's known as "a teaspoon of water in the Pacific Ocean." But it's something, I suppose. Currently, each legislator's car costs the California taxpayer $7,300 per year. But the legislators won't have to walk to work. Each qualifying solon will be given a $300 per month automobile allowance instead, which is about half of what the taxpayers are now shelling out.

In a magnificent statement of the obvious, Commission member and former chairman Charles Murray said: "We're broke. You have to cut money somewhere." That is gross understatement. California needs to cut money everywhere. Still, one small step for a legislator, one giant step for the taxpayers. Even the minor admission that the Assembly and Senate members are grossly overpaid for sinking California's economy is more than we have gotten in decades. Murray is the former chairman because Governor Moonbeam Brown replaced businessman Murray with Thomas Dalzell, manager of a San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union. Surprise, surprise.

Dalzell immediately announced that he had spoken with state attorneys who had determined that the Commission had no authority over cars. Well, those are state attorneys who are also feeding at the public trough. Did you expect them to understand that "free cars" are a form of compensation that the Commission does have authority over, Mr. Chairman? Apparently those state attorneys haven't read either the California or federal tax codes. What next, Mr. Chairman? Bring in the ACLU to sue for violation of their constitutional right to have a free car?

So should we feel sorry for the poor benighted legislators? Let's take a look at the horror the Commission has already placed upon them. In 2009, ordinary California legislators had their base salary cut from $116,208 to $95,291. Legislative leaders went from $133,639 to $109,584. Wow! The poverty must be devastating! Never mind that most of these fiddlers with the public's money are independently wealthy and there is no restriction on outside income. In Pennsylvania and New York, the ordinary legislator is paid around $79,500 or about $16,000 less than their California counterparts after the wage cut.

The reaction from the bigwigs was predictable. Speaker of the State Assembly John Perez (D-Los Angeles) said that the move makes it harder for lawmakers to travel to and in their districts to connect with constituents. Huh? Does he expect us to believe he drives from Sacramento to his district in Los Angeles? Remember how far it is from Sacramento to Caliente, then add another eighty-four miles.

Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) was even more outraged. "The arguments for cutting legislative salaries and benefits have gone from being balanced, rational and a reflection of our economic times to simply trying to make a political point." Both Steinberg and Perez have joined the chorus that says Republican members of the Commission have unfairly criticized the Democratic-controlled legislature for its spending practices. So far, however, no Republican legislators have complained about either the earlier pay cuts or the current elimination of their state-provided cars.

I wish I could get a base salary of $109,584 to screw up my clients' finances. But then I don't drive a compact, eco-friendly, fully-electric car like the legislators do. Or do they? Let's see. Top contender for champion gas-guzzler is Sen. Ron Calderon (D-Montebello). The taxpayers bought him a Cadillac STS V-8 luxury sports sedan at a mere $54,830. Calderon in 2009 spent about $83 per week on gasoline on a taxpayer state-issued credit card. And that was before the Democrats brought us $4.50 per gallon premium gasoline.

I don't think I'll be spending a lot of time praying for the well-being of the now poverty-stricken legislators. They could just ride horses, which also provide manure that can be burned for home lighting and heat when the power goes off after green weenie schemes cause the power companies to institute rolling blackouts.