California governor: We need federal funds or emergency responders are the first to go
Posted by: Mitch McKinley|
SACRAMENTO, CA – Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, just put his state’s emergency responders on notice.
Without a federal bailout of his failing state budget, Newsom will have to start laying people off. And he said he will start with law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
To Newsom, the most expendable positions on government payrolls are those who protect and serve. In other words, those whose job it is to save lives while putting their own in jeopardy.
Appearing on CNN with Jake Tapper, Newsom dropped the bombshell that members of the responder community would be the first to go.
After revealing that the pandemic had depleted the surplus they had just a year ago, Tapper asked the following:
“Can you explain what you think will happen to California if the federal government doesn’t give you money to help you out?”
Newsom’s response may have been one of the least genuine praises of front line defenders.
“I hope they’ll consider this; the next time they want to salute and celebrate our heroes, our first responders, our police officers and firefighters, consider the fact that they are the first ones who will be laid off by cities and counties.
The folks who are out there, the true heroes of this pandemic, are health care workers and nurses. Those county health systems have been ravaged, their budgets have been devastated and depleted, the budget counts depleted since this pandemic. They’re the first ones to be laid off. So we’ve got to square our rhetoric with the reality.”
CA Gov. @GavinNewsom says his state’s budget deficit is directly related to the coronavirus pandemic and federal funding should not be looked at as charity, “when it’s fundamental purpose of government is to protect people’s safety and to protect their well-being.” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/9XpDngudxV
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) May 17, 2020
CA Gov. @GavinNewsom says his state’s budget deficit is directly related to the coronavirus pandemic and federal funding should not be looked at as charity, “when it’s fundamental purpose of government is to protect people’s safety and to protect their well-being.” #CNNSOTU
There are a few things to unpack in the governor’s answer.
First, he was kind enough to let us know that calling cops, firefighters, medics, nurses and doctors heroes is simply rhetoric.
Rhetoric is defined as ‘language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.’
So, it isn’t just an opinion that Newsom’s praise was less than genuine. He admitted that it was in the same breath.
Second, he definitely used language designed to persuade and impress the viewing audience.
If the federal government doesn’t bail us out, we will lay off all these people that you refer to as heroes. Then, there will be no one for you to praise.
Newsom also detailed that he wasn’t looking for charity saying that last year the state was running a $21 billion surplus, but are now facing a $53.4 billion deficit.
He then said with a straight face that they are managing the budget effectively and efficiently.
He also noted that California is not the only one dealing with budgetary stress, and that it is “incumbent on the federal government to support these states through this difficult time.”
Okay Gavin, walk us through it.
You do nothing but chronicle how California is going to do things its own way, yet you want taxpayers from the other 49 states to bail you out?
You have been in the governor’s mansion for a little over a year. In that time, you have continued to thumb your nose at the federal government by establishing your state as a sanctuary for people who are in the country illegally.
You have mandated that local and state law enforcement agencies are not allowed to work with ICE or CBP.
You have mandated that mail-in voting is authorized in your state for all registered voters. And your state provides driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, allowing them to vote in local elections…thus making them registered voters.
Just yesterday, a phone system crashed fielding all the calls from illegal immigrants in your state that you opened up stimulus money to. $75 million was made available to people who are not supposed to even be here.
$75 million of tax payers money.
According to salary.com, the median income of a cop in Los Angeles County (the hardest hit county in the state) is $63,500. For an ER nurse, it is $85,165, and a firefighter/EMT averages $53,080.
That $75 million you are giving away to illegal immigrants would pay the annual salaries of 1,181 cops, 881 Er nurses, or 1,413 firefighters/medics.
We understand that there is more to it than just simple math and averages, but the point is, once again…Newsom shows that non-citizens are more important than the members of the emergency responder community.
Oh, by the way, based on what the governor is offering illegal immigrants as part of the stimulus package, that only makes for $500 per person.
That is not a huge amount of money per individual. It won’t go very far. That is a small check to 150,000 people.
But that is 150,000 people that Gavin Newsom deems more important than the thousands he plans to lay off because the federal government won’t give him an advance on his allowance.
Hey Gavin, since you brought up the budget shortfall and the necessary lay-offs across your state, I though it might be fun to take a look at the State of California HR website.
Turns out that the state has posted 199 permanent, full-time positions in the past 2 days alone. Of those, 16 positions are in healthcare and five are in law enforcement. Expanding that search out to postings in the past week, healthcare openings climbed to 55 available. law enforcement went up to 25, and it added four positions in fire and rescue.
It seems to me that with all of these lay-offs eminent, the state would have a hiring freeze in place, what with a $53.4 billion deficit going on.
But, what do I know? I am only basing these arguments on facts, logic and common sense.
You, on the other hand, are an elected official. By all means, go back to making sure your rhetoric matches reality.
