|
By Mike Bodine
Register Staff
7-4-2009 Reactions from a handful of locals to the statewide financial crisis and the failure of legislators to pass a budget was unanimous across the board: people are not happy. This emotion was evident in statements that ranged from, “I’m obviously upset,” to, “I’m going to start a rebellion.”
A set of prepared questions was asked, but most people seemed ready and willing to rant.
One couple had but three words to say about the budget, “Boring, dull and sad.”
Mike Donnelly, Bishop resident and retired law enforcement officer for Mono County and Mammoth, said, “California’s been in the tank for decades. We pay the highest taxes in the nation, have the highest unemployment rate.”
Donnelly blames entitlement programs for much of the state’s problems. “It’s a welfare state,” he said.
And he said he’s not alone. “I haven’t talked to anyone that’s not concerned with the budget.”
Donnelly said he didn’t have any suggestions on how to remedy the budget that would be proper for general consumption.
One Mammoth resident who preferred to be identified as “John” said he voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger and, “he (Schwarzenegger) probably knows better than I do what’s going on, and I’m sure he’s doing the best he can.”
John said that didn’t mean he was necessarily pleased “with the way the state government deals with education, Caltrans and the park systems. The state puts together these programs, gives them money and creates jobs, but there’s no follow up, no checks and balances.”
John described his experience with the park system, where he saw the majority of employees and managers only working for the money. “There was no responsibility, no leadership, no one was duty-bound.”
He added that he had a hard time believing the state is in such dire straits, but that instead it is just mismanaged. “The resources are here, we’re just flushing them down the toilet.”
Mike Nelums of Joesph’s Bi-Rite Market in Bishop said he was sorry to see the cuts to education, and was stumped at how people can continue to survive in these ever-increasing difficult times.
“I don’t see it getting better any time soon, and I think it’s going to take even longer to get out of this,” Nelums said.
He added he doesn’t know anybody that has anything good to say about the budget or the elected officials whose job it is to balance the state’s checkbook.
Ryan Schilling, a 16-year-old from Bishop, said he has a hard time figuring out what’s going on with the budget. “Even the government can’t get a handle on this and it’s their budget,” he noted.
Schilling said he does see people “trying to find ways where they don’t have to struggle so much.”
He said he’s not looking forward to the increased class sizes and over-worked teachers when school begins again, post-budget cuts.
Jay Jimenez, owner of The Petite Pantry in Bishop, said if something’s not done about the state of the state’s affairs in the next six months, things will get even worse.
He spoke specifically of the announcement of a third day of furlough per month for state employees, saying the state is “hanging itself” with the move.
Jimenez said he’s heard from others that they don’t have much sympathy for state employees and their furloughs, as state employees generally have a good salary and solid benefits.
But, he explained that people all have different plateaus of living, and even a person making six figures is going to cut back on spending if their income gets cut by 10-15 percent.
“And the first thing they give up when they’re trying to save money are the luxuries, like going out to eat, going to the theater,” he said.
He described how this has the domino effect of people spending less, businesses making less and having to make cuts, usually to staff, and that laid-off employee is forced to receive unemployment benefits because less work is available, and the unemployment benefits are mostly paid for by the state and taxpayers.
Steve Sebastian of Bishop and his companions said they were “mad, mad, mad.”
A former Caltrans employee, Sebastian said he didn’t understand the massive amount of road work being done when teachers are being laid off. He said he understands mandates and ear-marked funding, but he didn’t understand why the money couldn’t be floated around like it is with the state’s cut to services to balance the budget.
He added that he doesn’t know of anyone not hurting in this economy.
A Mammoth resident who said she is the assistant director of the After School Program for Mammoth School District said, “These are scary times.”
She was feeling the effects of the budget dilemma first-hand, as her position had been cut from eight hour a day with full benefits, to three hours per day with no benefits. She said she’s been with the district for 11 years.
Thirteen-year Bishop resident Jean Waldriff said the whole thing is “ridiculous.”
Waldriff, who takes advantage of public transportation and even attends the Senior Center for lunch every Tuesday, said, “We do the best we can and that’s it.”
She said she knows of friends who swear and curse about the budget and cuts to services. “We can yell,” she acknowledged, “but it doesn’t do any good, they’re still going to raise taxes.”
On a positive note, Waldriff said her son, a local TV repair man, is experiencing booming business as more people are homebound or have less to spend on vacations and the TV has turned into the main source of entertainment.
|
