Government justifies its taxation of citizens by insisting that they are there only to protect the public; to provide services such as garbage collection, street lights, police and fire protection and, increasingly, entitlements such as health care, housing and so on.

But in the meantime their choices on how they spend money reveal that they are turning their backs on those needy groups of people and ordinary citizens. 

They prove this by cutting back on services they are legally obligated to provide to their citizens in order to game themselves into lucrative salary and pension programs.  Meanwhile, the citizens who need the services are being thrown under the bus.  In short, Democrats have used their police power as a blank check to enrich themselves, and the evidence can be found across the U.S. 

A recent example of how Democrats exploit taxpayers is provided by the financial information on the officials of Stockton, CA.  Stockton recently exited its bankruptcy proceedings.  Bankruptcy is a legal process whereby a city can request protection from creditors when its revenues can no longer meet its obligations.  This all sounds rather reasonable, and after all, communities like Stockton, CA explain that this was all caused by the economic collapse of 2008.

But a close look at Stockton’s finances, and the details of its bankruptcy uncover a massive scheme of city government fraud, malfeasance, and misappropriation of funds.  And just by coincidence all of these acts made, and are still making, the public officials of Stockton, which is a city dominated by Democrats, wealthy beyond any taxpayers’ expectations. 

Bankruptcy Judge Klein noted that Stockton City officials had allowed the Fire protection services of the community to deteriorate to such an extent that “A wrecker had to accompany fire engines on emergency calls.”¹  A website called “Transparent California” reports that the Fire Chief earned $325,875 and a Deputy Fire Chief $308,633 in salary and benefits in 2012.  Each one may look forward to millions of dollars in retirement.   There are dozens who earn over $200K per year.  The total Fire Dept. expenditures for salaries in just the Fire Dept. of Stockton in the 2013-14 year is $42 million² while the fire truck and emergency vehicle maintenance was cut back.  

The Stockton Fire Dept. website states that their “Vision, Mission and Values” are community service with excellence.  Yet it is difficult for homeowners to understand why, as the bankruptcy Judge stated, fire engines in Stockton go on calls accompanied by a wrecker while those responsible earn huge salaries and bonuses.

Similarly, their police department displays the same neglect of duty.  Stockton’s Police Chief, Blair Ulring, earned  $480,288 in 2012.  A whopping $241,775 of this was not through salary but through “other pay.”  And Police Captain Robert Paoletti earned $348,470 in 2012, with the majority, $291,879, obtained through “other pay” than salary.  It is difficult to imagine that these two were being rewarded for their outstanding job performance, since in 2011 Stockton’s murder rate reached an all-time high and assaults increased by one-third. 

During this time the Stockton City Council enabled these two to make this much money by cutting back the police budget so much that police services were “being operated below sustainable levels.”³  Stockton decided to make their rich officials richer and lay off the regular street cops.

Similarly, Federal Judge Rhodes noted in the Detroit bankruptcy⁴ case that Detroit city officials had cut back on city services to such an extent that 40% of the city’s street lights didn’t work, its police force had been cut back 40% in ten years, and  there was a one hour wait for police.  Its violent crime rate was five times the national average.  Detroit’s police and fire services had only one mechanic for every 39 emergency vehicles.  This made it impossible for mechanics to perform regular maintenance, let alone take care of any breakdowns.  And all the time Detroit public workers didn’t have to pay a dime into their pensions.  They depended solely upon future taxation.

In a sane world, these characters in Stockton and Detroit would be brought up on charges of malfeasance, criminal negligence, misappropriation of funds and embezzlement.  They misappropriated funds that are supposed to go for protecting the safety of the public and used them to give themselves one-percenter salaries and the kind of pensions that private sector one-percenters never receive. 

However, the ruling of Judge Klein⁴ who is a Federal Judge proves that Federal courts will do nothing.  He allowed this outrageous behavior by public officials; after all, he himself is a public official.  His argument, which should be seen as outrageous by future analysts of public bankruptcies, was that pensioners have too much to lose so the pensions can’t be cut back.  It is difficult for the taxpayers of Stockton, who are indentured by laws they didn’t pass, to see how a retired Fire Chief will starve if any of his $300,000 pension is cut back.

The public should have the option to sue these officials since the Federal government or state of California will do nothing to stop this exploitation of police powers.  The Fire department officials of Stockton allowed fire protection vehicles to deteriorate, yet if a corporation allows safety issues to arise, such as failing to have their fire extinguishers updated, or install a mandated sprinkler system, or install proper safeguards in their manufacturing plant machinery, they will be cited for violations and given huge fines by OSHA, EPA and Fire inspectors.  

Yet, not one of the state or Federal officials has fined the Stockton Fire Chief for neglecting to do proper maintenance on fire engines.  They too, are enablers and accessories after the fact in these crimes.  So many public officials are conspirators that they refuse to allow any public scrutiny or prosecution, fearing that their entire criminal enterprise, of public pensions and abuse of taxpayers, will collapse. 

Taxpayers, who have no say in these salaries, need to rise up as one voice.  They should place on the ballot the issue of whether or not public employees in their state should be required to contribute to their own 401(k) retirement plans, rather than force innocent and unknowing taxpayers to pay their lavish unearned pensions.  These public officials cannot defend these salaries and benefits, which were established so they could protect the public and “help the children,” any longer.  They are out of control. 

A nation created by the people, of the people, and for the people has now been taken over by a massive national political machine of insiders called the Democratic Party.  It has used its power to deprive citizens of rights and willfully neglect their public duties; all enabled by their lofty rhetoric of helping the disadvantaged and promoting equality. 

But all they have done is prove they do nothing when they gain power other than exploit the working people and poor to enrich themselves. 

1. http://www.caeb.uscourts.gov/documents/Forms/Misc/12-32118.pdf, p. 51.

2.http://www.stocktongov.com/files/13-14_Adopted_Budget_.pdf p. F-6.

3. http://www.caeb.uscourts.gov/documents/Forms/Misc/12-32118.pdf, p. 51. 4., 4. http://archive.freep.com/assets/freep/pdf/C4216000125.PDF  p. 20, 21.