MY WIFE'S PAYCHECK TO BREAKING AND ENTERING

MY WIFE'S PAYCHECK TO BREAKING AND ENTERING, (Frazer Chronicles)

Okay I'll admit it, I do have a vested interest in governmental cuts, a very personal interest, part of my existence depends on the money that my wife makes at her job with the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I have been informed that now, her paycheck will be lighter by a sum of $105. At 26 payments, that's more then $2600 a year, ouch, that is going to leave a mark.

We are a nation on the move, of that there is no doubt, cutting operating budgets from the local, to the state, to federal, public employers are being called out to tighten their collective belts and take a hit, just like the rest of the country has, or so I read. Between union workers and the public sector, both are perceived to have had it their own way, and to a degree that is true, but $2600 a year is a pretty heavy hit.

The last 8 contracts that my wife has been under has averaged a 3% increase in wages, which does not even cover the cost of living increase. In addition, along with every contract raise, the cost of medical insurance responsibility, to be paid for by employees has risen about the same 3%. In other words, my wife hasn't even been getting a cost of living raise, "are you following where I'm going?"

There is a big misconception connected with public employees, what they get paid for the work that they preform. The very system under which these employees operate under is flawed, outdated procedures, inept supervisors and an atmosphere taken advantage of every day.

The system must be changed, but not all at once, shouldered by not only those lowly employees that make up the majority of the work force, but top officials too. Changes need to be made right from the top, down through to the bottom, "are you reading this "Shadow."

HOW TO AVOID A PARKING TICKET, (Sign-On, San Diego)

By far the best place to get a parking ticket anywhere in the United States probably is San Diego, California. The city issues, on average more then 420,000 citations a year. Tickets range in price from as low as $20, an expired meter, to $440 for illegally parking in a handicap-only zone.

It's not that the city offers discounts for these infractions, rather some 34,000 tickets over the past four years go unpaid because of a snafu in the cities computer system and the number of departments that can levy these kinds of citations. There are 7 different departments with the authority to issue tickets which includes lifeguards at the cities many beaches.

Compatibility is the culprit, as the different departments systems won't work with one another, is that a joke or what. The city, upon realizing that it was losing close to a million dollars a year, which could help to get the city out of a $57 million dollar financial hole that they are currently in, is working with their vendor to correct this problem. We here at Chronicle headquarters can only say, "good luck."

FURLOUGHS/LAYOFFS, BITE ME, (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

I watch Law and Order several times a week and I marvel at how their writers meld the police efforts into a jurisprudence last half hour of the show. I know that the head Prosecutor, the District Attorney, is more a coordinator or manager and his prosecutors try the cases, it has to be true, it's on T.V.

Anyways, here in Wisconsin, newly elected Governor, Scott "Sleepy" Walker is slashing everything that still has a breath in it in his attempt to balance the budget, the Frazer family is living proof of that effort. But now, according to Wisconsin's prosecutors, "Sleepy" has went to far. He wants them to take furlough days, (unpaid furlough days to boot), funny, I always thought a furlough was like a day or so off with pay, proves how much I know sometimes.

Of course these people are attorneys, have a formal education and worse, are legalizes and worser, know a bit about the law. The governor mandated a total of 6 furlough days by July 2 of this year, or face layoffs and those remaining would be put on part-time status. Part time would result in all sorts of ramifications with regards to retirement, medical insurance and vacation days. 

An Association of State Prosecutors vote was taken, which, according to it's President, "was not particularly close," favoring rejection of the mandate, "Sleepy" doesn't suggest, he orders, not always the best way to deal with an employee.

To make matters worse, there bosses, the state's elected district attorneys, seem to think that the state has no right to order such furlough days, or lay-offs or reduction in status of employment. If the grievances are upheld and there are no days off, no lay-offs, or reduction in worker status, Wisconsin could be on the hook for more then $11 million dollars in back-pay to those other state employees who have taken 16 unpaid furlough days off.

Seems as if, in the collective bargaining units of other state unions, which had agreed to the furloughs, if one union decided against the move, none would be required to take unpaid days off and two fiscal years of furlough days would need to be paid back. Now if you count those 16 days up, that's 3 working weeks plus a day of unpaid time off, quite a tidy figure.

Exactly where does the "Sleepy" man think he is taking Wisconsin anyways, obviously somebody need to check some of the facts before wholesale mandates are issued. I guess, like the man said, "be careful who you piss off, you might get pissed on." We here at Chronicle headquarters will be keeping an eye on this developing story, anyways those of us not on furlough.   

OBAMA IS NO A CHIMP, (Los Angeles Wave)

The other day I received an email from one of my sisters, I will not divulge her name, "the orphaned one" and I thought little of it. I did kind of shake my head, considered the source and went ahead with my business. After all, Bush took it on the chin for more then 7 years, however I felt that he deserved each and every shot, but it comes with the territory, public figure and all.

But when a Republican Orange County Central Committee member sent an email of a picture of a Poppa, Mama and a baby chimpanzee in a family pose and the baby looked like President Obama, apparently some thought that she had went to far. The kicker here is the fact that Ms. Davenport "her real name" received a censure for her action, by her own political party.

That's right, Orange County Chairman republican Scott Baugh felt that Marilyn, "her real name" had went to far, and  hit her with an ethics violation censure. The premise of the action was because she knew that the email was controversial before she sent it, yet she sent it anyways.

Ms. Davenport was not available for a comment, but some thought they heard her call Baugh a "nut job" and that he should go suck on a banana. It seems to me that the venerable Santa Ana beachcomber was just trying to have fun, you know, like the song. Needless to say, Ms. Davenport will now be considered for the key-note speech  at the GOP national convention next year.

THIEVES PUT THE BREAKS ON ATLANTA COPS, (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Well it finally happened, Atlanta's criminal element has finally had enough of the pesky Atlanta P.D. saw their opportunity and took advantage. Wednesday morning, between 1:13 and 5:30 A.M. a crew of thieves scaled a 12 foot fence, complete with barbed wire on top and smashed the back windows out of 36 police cars, popped the trunks and took laptop computers, radios, police jackets, some GPS and cameras.

Also once the perpetrators made off with their ill gotten booty, some members of the crew stayed behind and smashed several more of the squad car windows, making sure that the cars would not be used during the day's Atlanta fleet of cars on the streets.

A supervisor arrived to find the mess and had to call the cops for assistance. "If people want to get in, there's really nothing that can be done," he was heard to remark.The fence didn't work, security was lax and here we are with this mess.

This B and E will cost thousands of dollars, put a slight crimp in police presence and has made a conversation piece for locals with regards to police protection. The police department plans to file a claim with the security company's insurance. We here at Chronicle headquarters can only say, "keep your powder dry boys."