it
looks like another group of california's public employees have had it with der gropenführer's attempts to sneak grover norquist's radical government-busting agenda under the public's nose through stealth initiatives:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was called a liar and accused of betraying widows and orphans this morning by more than a score of police officers, firefighters and widows in San Jose.
The group joined State Sen. Elaine Alquist, D-San Jose, to protest Schwarzenegger's plan to change the pension system for California's public employees, including public safety officers and firefighters.
(more after the break)
Alquist said the governor's proposal would not only seriously damage recruiting of police and firefighters but also leave the widows and orphans of those killed in the line of duty destitute.
"We have a time-honored tradition and more than that a moral obligation to take care of these officers and firefighters and their families,'' Alquist said.
this is excellent framing by alquist, and exactly the sort of message that we need to hammer relentlessly if we want to rid ourselves of this faux-moderate right wing joke of a governor. even better, they've got the cops and widows making the case:
San Jose police Officer Pat Boyd, vice president of the police union, blasted Schwarzenegger for betraying the 18 families of officers killed in the line of duty that he honored at a ceremony last year.
"That same governor turned his back on us and put those 18 families out in the cold,'' Boyd said.
Widow Gayle McKnight, whose police officer husband was killed in the line of duty in 1990 in West Sacramento, urged California residents not to sign any petitions to put the measure on the ballot.
"The governor is lying to the public. It definitely will stop death benefits,'' McKnight said. "I urge the public in California not to sign any of these petitions in front of any stores.''
this is how it's done folks. these initiatives have got to be stopped, either in the signature-gathering phase or in the special election, and the statehouse taken back for the people of california before ahnold and his right-wing backers damage it irretrievably. cops matter. nurses matter. education matters. it is time the california democratic party stood up and acted like a majority party.