Huge Sale! Hurry! Buy Now! I Have One Democracy, And It Won't Last!

Ok, so the great state of California is in financial crisis. It will run out of money for simple day-to-day operations by March unless, unless -- oh, wait, there is no unless yet. They don't know how they can get the state out of this financial quagmire right now.

What happens to you at your job if you don't perform well in the duties for which you were hired? Reprimand? Write-up? Suspension? Pink slip? Not for these individuals. I would like to know if this monetary shortage means that the senators and representatives no longer receive their salaries beginning in March. It doesn't appear that they are so concerned to make anything happen, as both sides of the proverbially aisle continue to bicker like small children over who has a bigger slice of cake.

The people who own the task of preserving and maintaining the community ideal are failing miserably. And what do we give them for this inadequate performance? $169,300 a year. That is over $14,000 a month, over $3,500 a week, and over $500 a day. And if we count the actual days they were in session (93, and yes that is for the year) it works out to be over $1,800 a day. Oh, to be so gleefully incompetent!

Part of the problem is that they haven't been able to sell bonds because investors are wary right now. A potential solution? Have the federal government give a guarantee to give investors more confidence. I would laugh at that punchline if I thought it was funny.

Remember when your Uncle Harvey asked you to do some yard work and told you there would be a tip in it for you when you finish? And remember how excited you were and how hard you worked? And remember how you didn't even mind that you cut your hand on some thorns while pulling out some weeds? And remember when you finished and you walked right up to Uncle Harvey with your chest out, sweat running down your face, a thin trail of dried blood down to your elbow, and declared your completion of the job with the greatest pride and anticipation for your reward? And remember when that son of a - (ok, I'll keep it G-rated) said to you, and I quote, "You wanna tip, kid? Don't take any wooden nickels!" And remember the year you spent in juvie for beating him over the head with a shovel? Oh, wait, sorry, that wasn't you. Um, anyway. Imagine me yelling this next part. That's exactly what it feels like to go ask our government for a financial guarantee when they have a deficit of over 10 trillion dollars! It's an empty expectation.

I'm ok, now. So, what can we do? Well, what if all those representatives and senators took a bit of a pay cut until they find a way to do their jobs properly? Let's go with a $69,300 pay cut. That leaves them with only the other $100,000 they make in addition to that, which, in case you don't know, is about twice the national average of a household income. That's not individual, that's household. That would free up almost $4,000,000 a year. Now I know that's not much money these days, but it's a start. So maybe we could implement that pay cut across the board on a national scale. That's almost $35,000,000 annually counting 453 representatives and 50 senators. Granted, it's a slightly flawed plan that should pay down the deficit in a few short centuries, but I don't see them doing anything other than spending more money that doesn't really exist. And since our elected officials only work so sporadically for the American people, then perhaps they don't need so many fancy buildings to heat, cool, light, etc. I know many religious faiths have a proclivity towards big guady structures on prime real estate, perhaps a "fire sale" is in order. As in fire this government! Ok, now. Now, I'm ok.

Money is a joke. When we can send money and exchange money and never even see that money, it's not real. They only count on us to buy into the illusion that it is, and we do. Every single one of us, but that is an entirely different topic. So, I hope I can inspire you to fire our government. Local, state and national. So far they have only shown that they suck at this governing thing. Now go out there and be the bosses we were meant to be! I'll see you for coffee break.