Real Estate, buy it now

[BeyGon]

*FOR SALE: One slightly used city. Close to beach. Includes Shamu habitat,
cute trolley system, and fully functional military bases. Perfect for
aspiring dictator or bored tycoon. Minimum bid: $8 billion, plus shipping.*

In a bizarre effort to balance California's budget, state officials listed
San Diego on EBay yesterday.

Gov. Schwarzenegger said he was initially reluctant to authorize the sale,
but decided "nobody will really miss the city anyway. It's not like the
Padres or Chargers have ever won a World Series or Super Bowl."

Although San Diego is the nation's eighth-largest city, it has often endured
second-class treatment in its home state.

The Los Angeles Times, for example, regularly refers to "Southern
California" as a region that doesn't extend below Orange County. Even the
Border Patrol has essentially written off the city, not bothering to
establish any immigration checkpoints until far north of town.

But the seaside metropolis has attracted plenty of attention on EBay. As the
auction continues, a bidding war has erupted between the Pechanga Indian
tribe, Google Inc., Donald Trump, and Al Qaeda. In response to State
Department objections, Al Qaeda said it merely wanted to turn San Diego into
a time-share resort, not a springboard for terrorist attacks on Los Angeles
and Disneyland.

[Hugh R]

Disney was asked about buying it, but they said no since they already own Anaheim and Orlando.

[svandamme]

so i read that the Governator is thinking about dropping all salaries of state employees to minimum wage??

Is that possible??? It sounds like old school communism to me??

don't civil servants have like... i dunno.... contracts???
don't those lock down what pay they are entitled to???

seriously, if my employer decided to just cut back my salary to legal minimum wage
i'de sue his ass for breach of contract

how does one pay ones mortage, based on full salary
when suddenly that full salary ain't full no more?

[BeyGon]

This isn't real, it is a joke, and no, they can't cut their salaries like that.
But if they did because there isn't any money to pay them, what will you get if you sue?

[svandamme]

assets?

we actually heard it first from somebody working for CA state who wanted to buy training from us, but then had to back out because of budget freeze, and then pointed us to the articles regarding possible salary cut's

[Bill Douglas]

Does it include the zoo, or is the whole place regarded as being a zoo?

[BeyGon]

Salary cuts may be possible, I don't know, but I don't think minimum wage is possible. I think many state workers are way overpaid anyway.

I also think 40% of California is paid by the state in one way or another. That's why California is such a liberal hole, everyone knows where their pay is comming from. Taxes.

[svandamme]

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1105466.html

"State workers leave the California Resources Agency in Sacramento on Wednesday. To preserve cash until a budget deal is reached, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly plans to order a temporary salary cut for 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour."

http://www.sacbee.com/links/story/1104825.html

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to sign an executive order next week that will reduce pay for more than 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour to preserve cash in the midst of a month-long budget standoff, according to a draft copy of the order obtained by The Bee."

there are other news sites with same story

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Doesn't Mexico already own it?

[BeyGon]

OK, it looks like it is just until the Democrats in Sacramento get the budget done. I don't know how many people are directly employed by the state but 200,000 is probably a drop in the bucket. 33 million people in the state and about 40% work for the state. Even at that it won't be high salaried people getting cut.

Too bad it isn't the House and Senate.