Schwarzenegger “girly-mans” under pension attack


By Marjorie Hinds
Bashing teachers and nurses is now well within the confines of acceptable political conduct. Schwarzenegger will, however, have to pay the piper for mixing it up with police and firefighters.

April 7, 2005 the Gov. held a news conference and temporarily backed off his campaign to undermine California pension funds. While it is unclear whether the plan would actually tamper with police and firefighter survivor benefits, the suggestion of such was sufficient to force its withdrawal and retooling. This is only a breather, however. He’ll be back and the stakes are high.
Why should those of us who are not public employees give a damn what befalls the state pension system? Well, as it happens, the outcome of this skirmish over the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) may well portend the future of Social Security.
Why, if this is a local pension matter is the funding, and cheerleading, for Schwarzenegger’s privatization scheme coming from corporate interests and their allies nationwide? It appears these recalcitrant pension people are a meddling nuisance. They’re buzzing like gnats in the faces of culpable CEOs—just yammering on and on about corporate this and corporate that—accountability, malfeasance and the like.
CalPERS and the teachers’ retirement fund are sore about losing a combined 1 billion dollars at the hands of Enron and WorldCom. Pissed off and taking names, the pension funds are throwing their weight around—180 billion and 126 billion respectively. They are doing, collectively, what we are unable to do individually—they’re kicking some corporate ass. 

Holding billions of dollars hostage during investment negotiations, their demands for corporate accountability include curbing excessive pay for executives, strengthening accounting standards, increasing transparency, opening corporate boards to shareholders and halting the privatization of public sector jobs. They have succeeded in altering business practices at hundreds of corporations including Disney, Apple, Safeway and Coca-Cola. Admittedly, the practical disruption to “business-as-usual” has been marginal. Nevertheless, any public intrusion into corporate governance engenders a backlash.
While dismantling an activist power base is a solid enough reason to privatize CalPERS, another incentive is, of course, the money. Wall Street bankers are down right orgasmic envisioning all of those dollars in the hands of novice individual investors. And yikes, what becomes of these individuals? With both Social Security and pensions up for grabs could Schwarzenegger be helping to create yet another special interest group—the elder homeless? 
Urgent Action Needed to Save SSI
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) faces congressional cuts that would push millions of vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities deeper into poverty. Your representatives are currently considering two options: reduce benefit amounts for everybody or cut benefits entirely for some. Individuals cut from the program will likely lose Medi-Cal coverage as well.

Call your representatives and ask that they not cut the SSI budget!
• Representative Jane Harman (310) 643-3636
• Senator Barbara Boxer (213) 894-5000 
• Senator Dianne Feinstein (310) 914-7300

Posted: Sun - May 1, 2005 at 10:03 AM          


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