Stan Geiger

Bell, California

Let's all pause for a moment to give a big round of applause for the citizens of Bell, California.

I don't know if you've heard, so I'll briefly draft the story for you. Bell had a city manager. He was getting paid nearly $800,000 a year. The manager had an assistant. She was getting paid nearly $400,000 a year. Bell had a police chief. He was getting paid nearly half a million dollars a year. According to CBS, they have all resigned. They have resigned because the citizenry found out about their ridiculous salaries and stormed City Hall with pitchforks and torches in hand.

The city manager apparently took the job initially for a salary of $72,000 a year. That's not too wild and crazy pay for a job in the LA area. But he also apparently had a contract that called for automatic pay increases of 12 percent per year. That is wild and crazy---for anywhere.

I hear there is a movement at hand to kill the mayor's job in Tulsa and replace it with a city manager's job. I'd say that would be a bad move.

The Bell police chief was overseeing a police force of 33 officers. Bell barely had a police force. Nonetheless, the chief was getting paid nearly half a million bucks a year.

There is much caution in this tale. What is the greatest threat to the continuing existence of this nation? Well, I'd have to say gubment employees.

A CBS anchor, reporting on the resignations of the trio of thieves this morning, noted they will all be drawing huge public pensions until they die. That was an excellent point to make. And that point makes for an excellent reason to do away with public pensions, period.

No word on the fate of the part-time city councilors, that are reportedly paying themselves $100,000 per year.

We have a sitting councilor, Jack Henderson, that recently wanted to triple the pay of Tulsa's part-time councilors to over $50,000 per year. I've heard it said that one can take a Tulsa salary and double it in order to live at the same level in a California metro area. Henderson, then, was arguing for a $100,000 salary in California dollars.

Henderson was shouted down. We recently ran off a police chief and replaced him with one that gets paid 60 grand a year less. Those are positive things. But Tulsa isn't in the clear completely.

Terry Simonson, assistant to the mayor, is reportedly making $150,000 per year. That's about 50 grand more than his boss makes. And, in California terms, that's about $300,000 per year.

Does that sound a bit silly to you?

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