Texas vs. California Roundup for December 11, 2013

Time for another roundup of Texas, Red State Champion, versus Blue State California:

  • Texas is the tenth best run state in the union, while California is the worst.
  • The vast gap between California’s haves and Have Nots.
  • The federal court Detroit bankruptcy ruling has made CalPERS nervous. As well it should.
  • Ditto public employee unions. “Government agencies should have the right to reduce future accruals, just as private-sector employers can — and they shouldn’t have to wait until they’re insolvent to do so…In California, prospective benefits are sacrosanct because of a series of poorly reasoned legal rulings…The system must be fixed before more municipalities reach bankruptcy. For state and local governments to climb out of their deep holes of pension debt, they must first stop digging.”
  • A succinct statement of the problem “California local governments cannot thrive if escalating retirement costs crowd out money for public service.” Plus: “Bargaining effectively occurs between unions and those elected largely because of money from unions.”
  • Today’s California city teetering on the edge of bankruptcy: Fresno. (“Fresno? No one goes to Fresno anymore!”)
  • 18 LA County Sheriffs department deputies indicted for “beating jail inmates and visitors, trying to intimidate an FBI agent and other crimes.” (Hat tip: Dwight, who notes “They tried to intimidate an FBI agent? Does LACSD make it a practice to hire and promote deputies who are dumber than a bag of hair?”)
  • Speaking of police behaving badly, 28 Santa Monica cops took home more than $200,000 last year. For comparison, Austin’s chief of police earns $198,819 a year.
  • Even California isn’t wild about Obama anymore.
  • California lobbyist organizes a second junket to Cuba.
  • Charting the Texas oil bool.
  • Cognizant moves operations center from New Jersey to College Station.
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