California dreamin' - two stories

Cities are going bankrupt, the state is building a useless high-speed rail system from nowhere to nowhere, running a deficit of $16 Billion. I could go on but you get the picture... Story #1 -- from The Orange County Register:

Hermosa Beach meter maids making nearly $100K?
When contemplating the many reasons cities in California and elsewhere are venturing closer to bankruptcy, look no further than the relatively lucrative and often-unjustifiable salaries bestowed on municipal employees � and the lofty pension benefits attached to the high pay.

One of the latest examples comes from the California coastal city of Hermosa Beach, where some community service staffers who collect money from parking meters and manage their operations � positions once widely known as �meter maids� � are making nearly $100,000 a year in total compensation, according to city documents.

There are 10 parking enforcement employees for the 1.3-square-mile beach city southwest of downtown Los Angeles, and they pull down some disproportionate compensation, considering their job functions. In fact, the two highest-earning employees for fiscal year 2011-12 are estimated to have made more than $92,000 and $93,000, respectively, according to city documents provided by Patrick �Kit� Bobko, one of five council members and who also serves as mayor pro tem. Those two have supervisory roles. The other eight parking-enforcement employees make from $67,367 to $84,267 in total compensation.

There are four qualifications for being a city �community service officer,� Bobko told me: �You have to be able to drive a standard transmission; you have to able to handle large animals; you have to read and interpret statutes and regulations; and you have a high school diploma or equivalent.�

Highly skilled labor for such a demanding position. Story #2 -- from John Nolte writing at Breitbart:

Near-Bankrupt California Awards Hollywood $100M In Corporate Welfare
Remember folks, trickle-down economics only works in the entertainment business.
Remember folks, tax cuts for the rich are evil, unless they go to rich people in Hollywood.
Remember folks, big business is greedy and corrupt and evil -- except for the big business of Hollywood.

In product, spoken word, and political endorsement, Hollywood assails itself without naming itself. Tax cuts for me but not for thee, and now taxpayers in the near-bankrupt state of California are on the hook for a cool $100 million that will feather the nest of movie stars, fat studios, and gajillioniare producers everywhere:

The California state Assembly Appropriations Committee has unanimously approved a bill extending the state�s film and television tax credit program for an additional two years, the LA Times reports. The current extension of the program that allocates $100 million yearly in credits expires next year.

This comes just two days after a left-leaning group in Louisiana complained about how the $1 billion in corporate welfare that state's doled out to Hollywood's 1% has benefited no one but Hollywood's 1%:

The left-leaning Louisiana Budget Project suggests state lawmakers should put tighter limits on the generous film tax break program, lessening the credits offered and capping the amount of money it can cost the state each year.

"Unfortunately, the returns to the state on this investment, like many of the movies made here, have been a flop. While the subsidies have helped create film industry jobs that weren't here before, many of these positions are temporary and have come at a steep cost to taxpayers," budget analyst Tim Mathis wrote in his report. �

"What has the state received for all this investment? The short answer: Not much," Mathis wrote.

The idea of reducing taxes on business, especially during a recession, is a good one. The freeing up of capital has worked time and again to help end economic downturns and increase hiring. This philosophy doesn�t work, though, when you have the government cherry-picking specific industries that will benefit and controlling their behavior through the qualifiers that always go with "tax credits."

This is just the opposite of the government getting out of the way of business and the free market -- it's really just another form of government micro-managing, which never works.

But Hollywood's Top 1% is a powerful and attractive lobby, which is why they're able to legally steal from taxpayers.

Nice little business they have for themselves -- cranking out crap for the proles on our nickel...