The Democratic former speaker of the California state legislature and former mayor of San Francisco:
"The deal used to be that civil servants were paid less than private sector workers in exchange for an understanding that they had job security for life. But we politicians, pushed by our friends in labor, gradually expanded pay and benefits … while keeping the job protections and layering on incredibly generous retirement packages that pay ex-workers almost as much as current workers. Talking about this is politically unpopular and potentially even career suicide … but at some point, someone is going to have to get honest about the fact."
--From an article in the Los Angeles Times by Mickey Kaus, who is challenging Senator Boxer in the California Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
