No price of labor is too high if you are a supporter of public unions. Here is a case in point: In Hermosa Beach California, Police Chief Steve Johnson and Councilman Howard Fishman defended $100,000 meter maid positions on the grounds “When you outsource, you take away union jobs.”

Note that meter maid positions do not require much more than the ability to drive a standard transmission car and have a high school diploma.

Please consider Hermosa Beach Meter Maids Make Nearly $100K

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Mike Shedlock

Mike Shedlock

Mike Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for Sitka Pacific Capital Management.

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sstraley Wrote: Aug 24, 2012 11:51 AM
The fact that we have people running things is this city that could possibly try to justify an outrageous salary and even more outrageous pension plan is beyond disturbing. The range for this job should probably be between $30-$50K tops! We're paying these people close to Police wages. Complete insanity. The meter maids must also be told to write as many tickets as possible to help just pay their salaries. This should be a revenue producing area for the city. Plus, we drive people off who have come to this city to spend their money in our community...in our stores by giving them $50 tickets because it took 15 minutes longer to get their hair cut on Pier Ave. INSANITY
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Greg1084 Wrote: Aug 14, 2012 9:39 PM
Boy. It sure looks like the trolls are giving up.
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Kevlar Wrote: Aug 14, 2012 6:35 PM
As a Califorian, I'm excited about the 'truth in advertising' enforcement.

We were California...The Golden State.

We are now Foreclosureland...The Bankruptcy Capital of America.
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Kevlar Wrote: Aug 14, 2012 6:28 PM
Is it fair when parasites kill and consume the host? The parasite thinks it's fair.
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Mike2065 Wrote: Aug 14, 2012 11:59 AM
In other words they make about the same or more than many cops in the town?

That makes no sense given the diference in training and danger involved!
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BillyHW Wrote: Aug 14, 2012 6:35 AM
Fire them all.
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Derek85 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 10:09 PM
If you buy one of these meter maids for $100,000 do you get to keep them?
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exblackbird Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 10:05 PM
bye bye california.................you re dying a fiscal death. i dont know when but its going to happen.
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RayTheAnarchoCapitalist Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 6:35 PM
How exactly does one outsource a meter maid job?
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meangene2 Wrote: Aug 14, 2012 2:50 PM
When a city, county or state outsources the company has to make a profit so the wages and services go down and it usually does not save money because of loopholes in the contract. There should never be a Union involved in government jobs, they are crooks always have been always will be. In the 20s there was a need but no more!!!!!!!!!!!
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3129 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 6:09 PM
Where do I apply for that job? I went to law school, became a lawyer, and only make 1/2 that much. Viva la revolucion
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lengid69 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 1:12 PM
This is a very good reason to run the unions clear out of the US. They are low life clear to the core. That kind of money for any idiot is $99,000 too much. Went to school for 12 years, got a certificate of attendance, dum as a box of rocks but through the gangsters of the nation raping unions you attend just as you did while in school and recieve near $100,000 a years for just showing up and in many cases they don't show up. These are the kind of people support the fraud creep in Washimgton. I know, it was going on before the fraud but he has made it lifes work to expand this kind of crp in his quest to destroy our nation.
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eddie again Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 12:41 PM
public employee unions should be outlawed.
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Sharon453 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 12:08 PM
Can't help but wonder if the guys at the top that are praising this debacle are getting kickbacks from said Meter Maids and THAT'S why they think it's 'peachy-keen'.
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exblackbird Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 10:06 PM
kickbacks................and probably BJs as well.
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jvance Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 12:07 PM
With Idiot wages like that California deserves to go bank rupt.!!!!
How can they possibly justify $100,000.00 for a meter maid You have people fliping hamburgers and that is harder to do than being a meter maid making min wage or a very little above. It is just crazy.!!! get rid of the unions now every where, or they will be the ruination of this country.
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Jack 486 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 11:45 AM
I've been unemployed over two long years, so I'd gladly take a job like that!

No way will I vote for Obama and any other Democrat, though.
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Anthony74 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 11:17 AM
California Communism.... The Disney Land of never ending tax payer money and free love, free housing, FREE EVERYTHING!

Communism is a CANCER. Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot all thought they could make it work. Even after killing over 100,000,000 people in the name of Communism.... It still was just a bunch power mad Czars telling eveyone else what to do and how to do it as the masses starved, were forced into labor camps and were treated like slaves as the Communist leaders lived like "Communist Leaders" ;)
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Dan107 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 11:41 AM
Communism is a CANCER. Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot all thought they could make it work....

But, Anthony, they did make it work--for them. The millions of people UNDER them? Not so much...
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jefmil33 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 11:12 AM
A simple CBA would most likely show that firing all "meter maids" and getting rid of all parking meters would actually save the city money. Heck, imagine how much money they might actually bring to the city if they hired minimum wage employees to do these jobs (honestly, it doesn't require any education or skills beyond a driver's license)!
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Anthony74 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 11:10 AM
OK! So they get $100,000 a year plus benefits for them and their families. Then they get 80% pensions after 25 years of service. So a 21 year old who retires at 46 who lives to be 75 Cost $5,400,000 in base pay and an additional $1,200,000 in benefits before they retire. So each meter maid costs $6,600,000 of taxpayer money! NOW! At today's interst rates to support each metermaid you would need $3,600,000,000.

SO! 3 BILLION at 2% return. That's REAL interest... not interst that is PAID by taxpayers to makeup the 7% theur pension are supposed to get.

THIS IS INSANITY. This is Communism on Steroids. No one, No Government, Nothing can pay for such WASTE & CORRUPTION.

As a taxpayer why am I forced to pay for this corruption?
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HuffingPaintPost Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 4:48 PM
To be fair, I'm pretty sure they're counting the generous health plans in the $100K. I would like to know how it's divided up.
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kenneth416 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 10:59 AM
I thought that I had already seen it all regarding STUPIDITY before I read this article. Has no one got the sense to analyze the cost vs benefit of the parking regulation enforcement and collection operation? Based on the numbers cited here, it is likely that Hermosa Beach would be better off without the revenue collected from parking meters, accompanied by the saving from eliminating these employees.
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Dan107 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 11:45 AM
You mean let them park for free? Perish the thought!!

How can we give up the $26,000 per year collected while paying out $3+ million per year to collect the $26,000!?
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Joe211 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 10:26 AM
I'm looking forward to reading about the State of California going bankrupt and this Federal government better not use our money to help these idiots. Let them stew in their ideology of hate, lying, cheating and perversion. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.
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CVN65 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 1:14 PM
Ain't gonna happen and we all know it. It's "Too BIg To Fail". They will get bailed out and they won't change a thing. Their public employee labor unions, even faced with the total loss of jobs and economic crisis, will not give in one iota and will, in fact, want to be lauded for not asking for more. They will never learn and never give up their greedy ways.
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Alice153 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 10:17 AM
It is California, after all. Home of the liberal mind-set. They were always first in stupid. And if the citizens are smart enough to vote for laws curbing some of the waste, fraud and abuse, they come up against the Ninth Circuit Court to overthrow the will of the people. They need to vote out all the politicians who are working against the good of society; but, they don't. I don't think the Court could deny election of honest politicians; but, it is California.
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CVN65 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 1:22 PM
Never underestimate a group of morons hell-bent on stupidity.
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binc Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 8:52 AM
Does that hundred grand a year include benefits or can we tack on another 20-30 thousand on top of that in which case these meter maids are making darn close to what general practicing doctors are making on average. Gee, what's wrong with this picture?
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Joe579 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 8:15 AM
Im sure if they had free parking. They would be money ahead. Alot of money ahead.
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MatthewlovesAyn Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 6:21 AM
I'm thinking that the answer is dis-allowing the vote to people for positions that would grant them largess. For instance, teachers not being allowed to vote for tax levies or the board of education. It could work much the same as a primary ballot. You would have to show employment records, and if they point to public sector, certain ballot initiatives would be unavailable to them. If you're unemployed, a different set of initiatives would be unavailable. We NEED another layer of bureaucracy.
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CVN65 Wrote: Aug 13, 2012 1:24 PM
Not so sure Ayn would agree with you. What we need is less incumbency and less power/money flowing to the Beast. Starve it, shrink it, minimize it.
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