WendyMcElroy.com

The blog TechDirt reports on a trend you can expect to see grow in popularity...at least with politicos who want to scrape the very lint out of your pockets and purse,



Despite Internet buzz to the contrary, apparently not all 911 calls will be billed. The Tracy Press reports, "Residents will pay $300 for every fire department response to a medical emergency. Non-residents can expect to pay $400. There is no set cost for a fire department visit to a car accident."

In short, if you see someone have a heart attack in the street, you should quickly set a trash bin on fire. Otherwise, by calling for help, your monthly budget may not stretch to include the mortgage or food. That's the calculation residents in Tracy will face when they see a stranger who collapses, has a car crash or otherwise needs the medical attention traditionally rendered by firemen. Do I let a stranger die or do I pay my electric bill? That's the choice. Do my children go without new shoes because I am a good samaritan?

Forget that phone bills already include a charge to cover 911. Forget that property taxes already assist with those costs. The politicos don't care. They want your money. And they will let people die -- many of them elderly or poor -- rather than deliver services for which they have already been paid. Like an arrogant thief who argues "possession is 9/10s of the law," they will point to Tracy's $9 million budget deficit -- a deficit. which they themselves have created.**

How will hyper-funding a vital but small service help Tracy with such a large deficit. A follow-up article in the Tracy Press explains, "Note that the money generated by the fees will go to the city’s general fund. Churchill said there’s an ethical understanding the money will “protect service from being reduced,” but I know of no in-writing guarantee."

**Interestingly, another article in the Tracy Press points out "Overall, Tracy spends $9 million a year on employees’ pensions....[T]he city pays 100 percent of the retirement costs for each employee, including the employees’ share of their own retirement. For police officer and firefighters, Tracy puts .33 cents into their retirement plan for each $1 they’re paid in salaries and wages." So rather than renegotiate with civil 'servants' who receive salaries and benefits that are huge compared to comparable jobs in the private sector, Tracy's council chooses to endanger the lives of the non-civil servants who cannot afford a 911 phone call. Why? Marcia Fritz, President of the nonprofit organization California Pension Reform, explains “The people on councils and fire boards are made up of candidates who were put there by the unions.” They themselves are the members and beneficiaries of unions.

For a sense of how richly union members benefit from the sweat of taxpayers, I recommend visiting the excellent site Pension Watch which monitors the situation in California carefully. An example of a recent headline: "California pension reform group posts list of 3000 retired teachers with pensions of $100,000 or more."