Yes. Because people spend millions of dollars and most of their lives campaigning for top positions in the American Government so they can drive around in an econobox. These are people who want prestige and feel entitlement and privilege because YOU VOTED FOR THEM. WTF else do you think they'll get? A Yaris?
If you want to see politicians riding around on bicycles, move to Sweden or Holland.
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
This is a tiny tiny drop in the bucket. Like not even on the radar. This is roughly .005% of the annual budget. It's like criticizing an unemployment recipient for not picking up all the pennies he sees on the ground.
California has serious budget problems with actual solutions that need to be the focus of the media, and you're blabbering on about $45,000 cars. $45g is not a let's-get-all-pissy amount for a legislator to spend on a car.
Call me when they buy Ferraris.
Matt, you are without a doubt my least favorite Jalopnik writer.
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
It's not too unreasonable for the state to pay mileage if the legislators have to drive their own vehicles back and forth from their districts. If the state is going to provide vehicles, I'd rather see them give these guys drug seizure vehicles or standard fleet Crown Vics or whatever it is they use. If I lived in California I'd be pissed.
@CptSevere: If I remember correctly, they have a Ferrari F40 with light damage from a drug seizure. The question then becomes who pays for tires... I know I would need a lot of tires.
@Mad_Science: That's certainly valid, but it doesn't excuse it. Sure its a drop in the bucket, but so's everything else that added up to that ridiculous deficit. You've gotta start somewhere.
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
@FromaBuick6: Rather than drop-in-the-bucket spending issues, I'd say the CA's legislature has always been one of priorities.
They get hung up on all kinds of minute issues that make for great rhetoric (case in point...), when they have 4567 things that should be higher on the priorities list.
That's why I'm pointing this out. Yes, you do have to start somewhere, but it should be elsewhere.
@Mad_Science: I wholeheartedly agree with you... there are some impressively large elephants in the room there in California, but you all seem to do a good job of ignoring them for the most part.
@acarr260 and Chaparral: Let's say there's 8 hours in the Legislative day (ha!). When you've only got so much time to focus on certain things, you gotta hit the biggest financial ones first, not the ones that make for good talkshow fodder.
A great example of them not getting it was a few months ago during the last Great Budget Crisis. Someone had taken the time to introduce a bill (which I believe made it to the floor for debate) to ban/restrict mylar balloons.
The argument was that they account for $#### per year of damage to powerlines and take forever to biodegrade.
Great, sure. We can debate that. But for the love of God, you need to pass a budget first!.
Sorry, but this isn't the cause of California's budget woes. The cost associated with these cars are literally a drop in a huge enormous bucket. You can't tackle the budget problem by throwing pennies back into the piggy bank. I agree the Lexus hybrids are a bit too much. They should have gone for the Ford Fusion hybrid or something instead.
Nonetheless, the real culprit behind CA's budget catastrophe are ballot initiative. It's not just the fact that every stupid Joe Shmoe can legislate from the ballot box, it's that special interests can do so as well. Since no one elects special interest groups to any office, it's really a convenient place for them. Pose a stupid ballot initiative to the voters, use slick ads to sell it as morally/fiscally/politically the right thing to do with no basis in facts, then watch the votes come in and swindle the people by earmarking funds that must be used for "special interest cause X". That leaves the State's General Fund depleted and the politicians hands tied so the budget can no longer be balanced.
Our so-called "experiment" in the people's democracy has failed. Isn't this why the founding fathers stated in no uncertain terms that the only legitimate Government in the USA shall be a Republic?
@Maxx Cracker: Yeah, what the hell is wrong with him? He caught a lucky break when Michael Jackson died, taking him off the front page, but he just can't shut up about his affair. He must be the dumbest man alive.
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
@FromaBuick6: Oh that blubbering asshat! Now he's talking about how the chick from Argentina was his soul mate, and how he's gonna TRY to fall back in love with his wife. What a mouthbreathing fucktard.
@FromaBuick6: Tell me about it. It hurts to be a South Carolinian, especially someone who once thought Sanford was a good gov. So much for that. Democrats, Republicans, the one thing we know is, none of them can keep their wee-pee in their holsters. And in California, they drive Tahoes to compensate.
@Maxx Cracker: It was only 15 years ago that Congressman Sanford was leading the charge for Bill Clinton impeachment for the Lewinsky affair. Little did we know that he was getting ready to go Slick Willie style himself.
@elwood: "Companies" is actually singular: all of these cars are made by Toyota or GM.
As for how many are American: Highlander/Kluger is made in Japan (until this year), the Lexii are Japanese (though some RXes are Canadian), Tahoes are built in Wisconsin and Texas, and the STS is from Michigan.
For once, "American" and "Japanese" are mostly true.
WTF? No money for Vettes, Vipers, Camaro SS's, Challengers, Shelbys, et al? I INSIST the politicians be given for free the fastest hottest cars around and total immunity from speeding tickets!
I hate these politians more and more everyday, but to me the most frustrating aspect, is the fact that they are actually elected into office. It pains me to know that there are people walking around that vote these absolute clods into office.
@acarr260: Dearthair is Canadian. Canada is part of the Magic Kingdom. I mean United Kingdom. I didn't mean to insinuate that it is a fantasy land, like Disney World. I wish we had an edit button, or a preview button. The problem is I hit submit before I was able to make corrections.
I work at a struggling company, and after 4 rounds of layoffs, frozen raises, and increased healthcare costs for employees....everyone title VP+ still gets a company car or allowance.
Yes, it's private sector, which is different. But I'm still amazed those high-end perks aren't first on the chopping block.
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
@Ash78: It's Director level and above where I work, and we're an OEM supplier that's on certain very public bankruptcy watch lists. We've already had mandatory unpaid vacation, soaring health care costs, frozen raises, a 10% reduction in pay, suspension of bonuses, and more.... but our execs are still driving very nice company cars. Gee, you may have hit a bit of a nerve there. I'll be outside having a smoke if anyone needs me.
@CPO Alfisted: I like the cut of your jib...at least for the private sector.
What the fuck kind of "talent" is there in politics?
Ever wonder why so many politicians are ex-lawyers, ex-newscasters, ex-educators, or ex-charity people? Apart from a few shining examples, most of those professions are not exactly based on business acumen or any real technical ability.
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If you want to see politicians riding around on bicycles, move to Sweden or Holland.
07/01/09
They can drive a Bentley for all I care, as long as I don't have to buy it for them.
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California has serious budget problems with actual solutions that need to be the focus of the media, and you're blabbering on about $45,000 cars. $45g is not a let's-get-all-pissy amount for a legislator to spend on a car.
Call me when they buy Ferraris.
Matt, you are without a doubt my least favorite Jalopnik writer.
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~$400,000
Size of the budget deficit:
~$24,000,000,000
Yes, it's asinine and egregious that they pay that much, let alone get an allowance, but let's get some perspective people.
If someone was $1000 in the hole, this would be 1.6 cents worth of the problem.
07/01/09
Of course, we have a surplus of $1b for our state budget.
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They get hung up on all kinds of minute issues that make for great rhetoric (case in point...), when they have 4567 things that should be higher on the priorities list.
That's why I'm pointing this out. Yes, you do have to start somewhere, but it should be elsewhere.
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07/01/09
A great example of them not getting it was a few months ago during the last Great Budget Crisis. Someone had taken the time to introduce a bill (which I believe made it to the floor for debate) to ban/restrict mylar balloons.
The argument was that they account for $#### per year of damage to powerlines and take forever to biodegrade.
Great, sure. We can debate that. But for the love of God, you need to pass a budget first!.
07/01/09
Nonetheless, the real culprit behind CA's budget catastrophe are ballot initiative. It's not just the fact that every stupid Joe Shmoe can legislate from the ballot box, it's that special interests can do so as well. Since no one elects special interest groups to any office, it's really a convenient place for them. Pose a stupid ballot initiative to the voters, use slick ads to sell it as morally/fiscally/politically the right thing to do with no basis in facts, then watch the votes come in and swindle the people by earmarking funds that must be used for "special interest cause X". That leaves the State's General Fund depleted and the politicians hands tied so the budget can no longer be balanced.
Our so-called "experiment" in the people's democracy has failed. Isn't this why the founding fathers stated in no uncertain terms that the only legitimate Government in the USA shall be a Republic?
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@SCROGGS!!: Hypocrisy isn't entirely a Republican tactic, but damn it, they're trying to make it so.
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but yea california, way to be stupid either way.
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As for how many are American: Highlander/Kluger is made in Japan (until this year), the Lexii are Japanese (though some RXes are Canadian), Tahoes are built in Wisconsin and Texas, and the STS is from Michigan.
For once, "American" and "Japanese" are mostly true.
07/01/09
Thus will the problem solve itself...LOL!
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Yes, it's private sector, which is different. But I'm still amazed those high-end perks aren't first on the chopping block.
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What the fuck kind of "talent" is there in politics?
Ever wonder why so many politicians are ex-lawyers, ex-newscasters, ex-educators, or ex-charity people? Apart from a few shining examples, most of those professions are not exactly based on business acumen or any real technical ability.
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07/01/09
Constituent: I am.
SL: Could you bend over a little more?
C: I don't think so.
SL: Are you sure?
C: I'm pretty sure.
SL: Okay, brace yourself.
C: Like this?
SL: Umm, no, it's going to be worse than last time. You should probably lean against the wall.
C: Like this?
SL: Just like that.
C: Okay, I think I'm ready.
SL: I doubt it, nothing could prepare you for this, but, here we go.
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scarring.
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I don't believe it either.