Taxpayers Did Not Create a State of Fiscal Disaster

Re “Last Chance to Be a Hero,” editorial, July 19: Once again The Times has laid the responsibility of California’s financial woes at the feet of a citizenry that “wants more government than it is willing to pay for.”

The Times has it wrong. The citizenry does not want a broken Department of Corrections program that boasts more than six employees for every inmate or these same employees to receive the unrealistic increases in their compensation while it is clear they have not done the job.

The citizenry does not want public employees to receive retirement benefits that, in some cases, exceed their earnings when they were working or school districts to be bound by law to pay inflated wages and benefits to bus drivers and food service workers, when outsourcing could save the districts more than $1 billion annually.

The citizenry does want the special interests in Sacramento to take a hike. In California, the influence of the labor unions is totally out of control. The Democrats in the Legislature have been selling out to these groups for years, and today’s fiscal disaster is the result.

Steve Offield

Arcadia

Considering the number of rich people living in California, and the enormous debt that strangles the state, it would demonstrate the greatness of our governor if he followed the example of former Gov. Pete Wilson (even if it proved costly to his own wealth).

Wolfram Wolz

Long Beach