Former LA Mayor Richard Riordan on Schwarzenegger, Unions, and Bankrupt Cities
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 12 янв 2011
- "Throughout the country, 90 percent of cities and states are going to go bankrupt within the next five years, many of them sooner." So says former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.
Reason.tv's Tim Cavanaugh sat down with Riordan to discuss state and local budget crises, public-sector unions, and why Riordan recently became a fan of current LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Approximately 9.40 minutes.
Shot by Zach Weissmueller, Paul Detrick and Alex Manning. Edited by Paul Detrick.
Go to reason.tv for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's RUclips channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.
I live in an area in Wyoming where the school isn't unionized. The system is relatively health. The school is one of the few locally funded schools in Wyoming. It uses Tax revenue from the Natural Gas field to operate. The school is smart and has millions locked away for rainy day. Wyoming also has millions locked away for rainy days and probably will see a decent level of prosperity because of good management.
@ArtStone Does this include their own?
@kev3d Trade barriers is not a subject that I have studied. I do know of one CA company that wants to expand their LED business, but China has imposed a 20% import duty while we have none. How to you resolve that problem?
@luke55664 I agree that the education system has broken down. However, when the mayor says that the governor proposed changes and the unions pushed back, how can I evaluate the solution if I don't know what he proposed, why he thought it would work, and why the union pushed back.
All I got through this 9 1/2 min vid is stuff is broke, there are disagreements.... any questions?
Riordan was the best mayor LA has had yet. Bring him back!
Use local contractors. Enforce competitive bids. Control spending. Pull the plug on CH2MHILL. End government corruption.
@kev3d This is not about giving someone credit. While the Wright brothers started powered flight, they did not invent the jet engine.
As for the internet, I worked on part of it before it was opened up to the public. Corporations were allowed to use it for non-commercial activities while the details of the standards were being finalized. It was being rolled out to the public by the govt.
@henleythecat Sydney Airport Corporation Limited is the private operator of Sydney Airport in Australia and it works just fine. Look, the cost ought to be borne by the user. The government should not tax people who never fly to subsidize airports or the FAA. It should not impose trade barriers which benefit a steel or auto union at the expense of the consumer.
@kev3d OK, this is a point that we both agree on. I also believe that more money should be going to local govt, then state, then fed, not the other way around.
@kev3d OK, I can see that we are not going to agree on much, but you have given me some food for thought. Thank for keeping it civil.
Thinking of food, time for me to go play chief. Take care.
@kev3d Do you think the Federal government will privatize air traffic control any time soon?
You can turn the question around and ask is there a business model for the private sector to enter this space and can they do it at a lower cost? They try to do that in England with privatizing airports, and it didn't work.
@henleythecat You said it yourself, the private market wanted SUVs. Tough shit. But, if you want, you can get electric conversion kits, bio diesel conversion kits, or even electric luxury sports car like a Tesla Roadster...that is, if the import duties are not too high. if you really want a level playing field, all trade barriers should be lifted.
@hughtub Why?.........Why would you think we are in disagreement?
@henleythecat
That's a very good point. Perhaps a lack of marketing skills is why it's taken Libertarians so long to slip into the mainstream.
But, that doesn't make them wrong! : )
@henleythecat Take for example the FAA, the Canadians have a private air traffic control service and statistically, their airports are more efficient. Do you think the Federal government will privatize air traffic control any time soon?
@kev3d Why would anyone want a car in CA when you cannot even drive to Vegas on one charge?
Lots of people in CA have two cars, and a short range one for local commutes is not out of the question. But GM never gave the public a chance to choose, because they refused to sell the car. The private sector took us for a ride, the took it back because they wanted us to buy SUVs'
The only role that govt should play is to provide a level playing field, not to choose the winner.
@Zakdayak Yes that is true, the bubble that burst was entirely avoidable. Some bubbles will come up now and again in the best of times, but it takes government interference to create the housing crisis. Remember that the Fed is a government supported enterprise, so are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It is not accident that the government guaranteed risky loans, whereas before, banks had to absorb the loss themselves, making loans and credit harder to get.
@henleythecat What exactly, were you watching then? The "Back Up" of their solutions are recorded over and over throughout history. At the very least, we know that education systems throughout the US are broke/broken and adding significantly to municipal and state budgets deficits.....While change is not always good, the course of public schooling is in dire need. Naturally any ideas you may have would be entertained in a public forum.
@henleythecat It is also true that the US government subsidizes Oil in various forms...which is curious since burning fossil fuels is considered bad. Not unlike Govt subsidies of tobacco (which it later taxes), the Govt both supports, then taxes dirty fuel sources and makes it prohibitively expensive to build cars that burn fuel better. The Govt should be out of the business of market manipulation.
btw, there should be a Richard Riordan FNF Mod
@kev3d "The government should not tax people who never fly to subsidize airports "
Governments compete in much the same way that the private sector competes, but for different commodities. If a local govt feels that the entire community would benefit by attracting business with a local airport, why shouldn't the local people help pay for the airport? If jobs are created, they benefit even if they never travel.
@Zakdayak Define "real wealth" because to me, when a computer company, a retailer, a farmer or a fast food restaurant produces or provides a product or service that I want, that is wealth. It keeps employees fed and the consumer satisfied.
@averagejoe040 if by multi national you mean they use other countries to escape paying their fair share of taxes, you are absolutely correct. Exxon like lets say the cruise ship industry will open offices in small countries to avoid paying taxes in the US, not for any other reason than to avoid paying taxes. It occurs to me that the EPA needs to do a better job of enforcing the rules that we do have and I will point to the BP oil spill to make my point.
I love how Riordan shut down Tim in his inane question @ 4:37. Tax is theft and any institution founded on it is intellectually and morally bankrupt. If an institution or service is of value, then a gun need not be pointed at the taxed for its support.
May i say that Richard Riordan, or as i call him is Uncle Dick (endearing term, he is my actual great uncle) is amazing. his nephew my dad went broke on real-estate during the crash and has sense then helped us out so much. He has created a college fund for my brother and helped us during our time or crisis.
Tell your uncle that he did one good job with our city!
@Zakdayak Let us look at real estate in depth. The Agent produces wealth by saving the seller and buyer time. No home owner has the time to work out all the details of a sale. Moreover, the real estate itself may have gained in value, especially if the previous owner improved it with gardens, new fixtures, paint, etc. Since most people don't have super rich friends or $300,000 laying around, Banks help the buyers with loans, for a fee called interest.
@kev3d If you eliminated the min wage, you might recreate the environment that led to the Union movement where workers were not making enough to pay for their corp owned housing.
@henleythecat Libertarianism is a point of view that advocates individual freedom. It was born of Classic Liberalism. While technically not a true ethos, it does support free market principals and individual freedom at every level of society.
@kev3d And the number of smog alerts in the L.A. basin has dropped from common to rare in the last 40 years while the number of auto in the area has more than doubled. I cannot find any logical reason to expect that the private sector would have developed all the technology needed to accomplish that without govt agencies such as the EPA.and the Air Quality Management Dist (AQMD, which I use to work for).
Sorry, I can't get on the everything the govt does is bad bandwagon.
The issues as I saw it? Severe underfunding, and financial irresponsibility. Complete and total lack of parental involvement. Curriculum based around excessive and flawed standardized test structures. No consideration or funding for the arts, and other very important areas of education and exploration. Crime, danger, and security on campus. Bullying and threats to students.
@henleythecat We have thousands of private schools throughout the US and in each case they cost less per child and offer a higher quality of education. We need to look no further than college matriculation to make this point. The private sector is much more efficient and capable than their government counterparts. Any????
I worked as a substitute teacher for Sacramento and in California. This video is some of the most one-sided sicking crap i have ever seen. This is pure propaganda. I went to work each day seeing overcrowded classrooms, teachers worked their butt off while being underpaid, underfunded and under-supported, and each year they were "officially fired" at the start of the year so they could legally get rid of them any time they want. Unions might have been their only safety net at all.
@henleythecat Local governments are not the same as the state or federal governments, whatever money is collected for whatever given purpose, it is best spent at the local level. Preferably, the individuals themselves, then community (or HOA perhaps), then City, then County, then State, then Federal. Of course local municipalities can afford to be more dynamic than the State of Federal government, but of course they can still be manipulated by unions or business.
@henleythecat In fact the government often stunts the growth of technology, partly through trade barriers, partly through red tape. Nuclear energy being a prime example. Government works very slowly and it is stubborn and tends to not discard bad ideas quickly. The free market on the other hand is dynamic. Imagine if the government had invested in DC electricity and banned AC? Just look at the explosion of technology since telecommunications were largely deregulated.
@Zakdayak If people cannot afford them and only use credit cards then that is their problem, it is not the fault of the retailer. I shop in retail all the time, lo and behold I pay my credit cards off. And if computer parts are made abroad, so what? People benefit from competition. I don't understand your grip against real estate...what are you suggesting? And Banks? So what? Putting your money in a bank is voluntary, so is getting a loan.
@Zakdayak As is so often the case, it was government meddling and good intentions that created the housing crisis. Yes, private banks made mistakes, but it was not a case of "deregulation" as is often asserted, indeed, under Bush the very regulating bodies had their budgets dramatically increase. The whole idea was to get more young, poor and minorities into home ownership, but this ignored what credit is supposed to do in the first place.
@Zakdayak First of all, why is it the role of government to dictate what two parties agree to? If I am willing to work for 4 dollars and hour and an employer is willing to pay that, then that is our business. But what if he can only afford to pay $4? A minimum wage means I cannot get work, so his business suffers because productivity is lost and I am out of a job. The Minimum Wage hurts the least skilled in society. Currently young people have the highest unemployment as a result.
@henleythecat Let us look at nuclear energy. The Navy can build reactors with almost no trouble at all, but the municipalities essentially cannot because government red tape (and fear mongering) make the process too expensive. With cars, because of high import tariffs and Unionized domestic builders, the US has made it less profitable for better cars to be produced. No shock that the first, best, hybrids were both Japanese.
@agitcam I agree entirely. Scapegoating teachers is just a way of avoiding the entire problem altoghter.
With that said, let's elimiante the Department of Educaiton.
I live in CA, and I know there are lots of problems.
What I didn't hear in this vid is a single recommended solution with something to back up why that solution would work.
What a waste of time.
Regulations and taxes killer for small business
@Buergs323 Thanks, it somewhat make sense now.
But, where is the value of the resources being committed by ReasonTV if all they are doing to preaching to the people that already agree with them? You would think that if they believe in the power of the free market, they would also believe in.... marketing.
@Zakdayak Yes, minimum wage should be abolished. See Walter Williams or Milton Friedman on the subject. Im aware that Reagan and the Congress ran deficits (It no longer a record, Bush 43 and Obama have beat him) but again, that is a spending problem, not a collection problem. Have you ever wondered why EVERYONE is not paid minimum wage? Why do you suppose that is?
@henleythecat
Most people watching these videos are Libertarians. If your not familiar with Libertarian views on education and the role of government -- learn them. The reason the solutions were not explicitly said is because its assumed most of the people watching Reason TV are educated Libertarians.
@kev3d "Imagine if the government had invested in DC electricity and banned AC?" ... This is were you went wrong. You made a what if assumption, but that is not reality.
Who picks up your garbage? (That is not a personal attack). When I was a kid, all garbage collection was done by local city employees. Today, very few cities employ their own workers. When the private sector proves that it can do the job better, govt often gives it up. In what if speculations necessary.
@Graffight When the US government started to collapse under debt and obligations and the standard of living else where become significantly better then in the US. Though we do still have time to change the US path, tweeking SS/Medicare. massive cuts to defense, massively lower prison pop, bettering K-12 education, ect. It can happen, but I am not sure it is likely.
@henleythecat By trading with other, more friendly nations. Also, by building the best LEDs at the lowest possible cost. Erecting walls is not the sign of friendly relations. Anyway, imagine if we raise the import duty to 20%...guess what, the Chinese can work cheaper (and the Indians cheaper still) so we raise the duty to 30 or 40% Not only does this make us less free, it raises the cost of LEDs to the end consumer. Who does that hurt the most?
@henleythecat Exactly who lives in corporate owned housing these days? Such as it is, people are free to change their job. If I run a factory and I provide housing and my rival mine does the same, but his workers cannot afford their housing, then it is in my best interest to pay more, so I can be more productive. In other words, I gain more from a productive factory than I love by paying more than my competitors.
@Zakdayak What you are saying is that China and India and several other nations ought not be so competitive. In the 50s half of Europe and most of Asia was under the Communist boot. Of course the US was in a good position for business. There was still tremendous waste on the part of the government, and the government was still a smaller percentage of GDP, imagine what it is today. The government is not "highly involved" in tech, Microsoft, Apple, HP, IBM and Boeing are.
@Zakdayak Well Minimum wage ought to be abolished in the first place. Second...no shit there is a deficit...the government SPENDS TOO MUCH. If you look at the figures during the Reagan years, despite cuts, the revenue increased (though spending outstripped income). And did you say that community college were free? Really? All the teachers worked out of the goodness of their hearts and all supplies and buildings were donated? Consider that word; "free".
@henleythecat Libertarianism has taken hold, though not in forms identified as such. Libertarianism is, at its core, about personal freedom coupled with personal responsibility. Examples of libertarian or "classical liberal" ideas catching on include the Bill of Rights, Women's Suffrage, Black Suffrage, The abolition of slavery, the elimination of the Draft to name a few. Hong Kong and Singapore have very low or no tariffs, Australia has a private retirement system and so on.
@henleythecat Because the benefit is disproportionally small to the cost. This is a similar argument for the public funding of stadiums, which usually sit unoccupied. Jobs are created, but at what expense? If the government was in the business of Job creation, every hole would be dug with spoons. Such as it is, govt is so terrible at this that AMTRAK has lost money every year of it's existence. The benefits are minuscule compared to the billions lost.
@luke55664 Any???? ... Yes.
I have no doubt that we have private schools with high quality and a lower cost. The question, has any country tried this type of system for the entire population?
This guy said so much that is so clearly off this it seems funny. "Every place that have tried to redistribute the wealth has failed", cause almost all of the EU is currently don't more wealth redistribute and they are some much worse off then the US? "If the told taxes go over 25%, a lot of bad things happen" Denmark and Sweden's tax rate as a percentage of GDP is nearly 50%, so why 25%? The current US tax rate is 24% and he just does not want more taxes.
Lower tax arguments are good without BS
2021 anyone?
@luke55664 You stated "voucher program ... would considerably lower the cost of edu. while improving the quality."
What history?
Is the Libertarianism ideology real or theory?
Has it been implied in the real world? If yes, and example should be easy.
@henleythecat Where am I wrong? Be specific. If you are going to give credit to the government for developing a plane or a computer, then why not give the lion's share of credit to the Wright brothers or Charles Babbage? As for the monopoly, look at the internet. Linking computers was already being worked on when the DOD seized the idea...and lo and behold it never saw the light of day until it was opened up to the public. Meanwhile, Walmart had already pioneered bar code networks.
@henleythecat Did you ever ride in an EV1? They sucked. Why would anyone want a car in CA when you cannot even drive to Vegas on one charge? The fact is electric cars have been around a long time, starting around the 1900s, long before there was an EPA.
What does Cav mean when he says that LA politics are South of the Mason Dixon Line?
@averagejoe040 now your just getting silly, the oil companies are not controlled by the government. I suspect it is the politians that are controlled by the oil companies which is proven with the subsidizes that they have given to the oil companies. As far as regulations go if BP had followed the regulations that existed on the books the Gulf Oil Spill would not have happened. By the way, what regulations are you refering to? Or, do you think we should have no regulations at all?
@kev3d I admit I as somewhat baffled by the anti-govt arguments. You are incorrect with regard with your history of tech, but that is not the point. In all of these cases, govt funding was involved and most of it related to military purposes, as you stated. But where do you see the govt "monopolized" the technology?
@redlightmax
Strangely enough we were able to pay for everything you mention just fine up until 1913 without an income tax.
You may not like libertarians, and libertarians may not think much of you either, and that is fine. I don't claim to speak for all libertarians but for myself and I say government doesn't get a blank check to take or do whatever it wants...and I think that is a fair interpretation of the world we live in.
@averagejoe040 it is a fact that they had profits and paid zero in taxes. do not take my word, research and verify for yourself.
@luke55664 Yes dissolve the Dept of Edu (Jimmy Carter's program). You wouldn't say that government should design computers and not let competition be involved, would you? So why give one institution a monopoly on education, when their current cost is absurdly high to taxpayers (over $10k per year, $30k/year in Los Angeles). Why? We have the internet and many options today, no need for a bureaucratic and costly one-size-fits-all approach to education!
@Zakdayak Eisenhower knew taxes were too high, he campaigned on it, but in 1954, the democrats held the Senate and House. But so what? We don't live in the 50s anymore. There isn't a cold war. Have wages gone up since Reagan? Yes to some degree, particularly in the fields in which the government was least involved; namely technology. However cheap monetary policy under Clinton, Bush 43 and Obama have pushed inflation.
@kev3d So far, I can agree with about half of what I am reading about Libertarianism, but the other half is troubling. For example, your comment about govt is not "highly involved" in tech. I worked for HP, and I can tell you that most of the tech innovations of today came from seeds planted by govt. The IC was first picked up by DOD and NASA before Sony created the Walkman and IC's took off. Boeing 707 was first a USAFair tanker the B-37. etc.
@redlightmax well its not that they want public service jobs to be free. but alot of these jobs can work without taxes and work better might i add. for instance, lets use a teacher as an example...if we didnt have public schools, the idea is that it would be more efficiant ot have differnt educational companys competing for your dollar....you'd have better service, better teaching, better everything.. because of competition. competition creates chooses.
@Zakdayak Further more, let us look at the trade agreements. It is often said that the US is for free trade, but the evidence shows that the government is anything but. Quotas, playing favorites, tariffs, taxes and commodity pissing contests all work against the average American consumer. This has been known since Bastiat (and earlier) Now look at the internet, when the govt monopolized it, it was slow, clunky and no one had access. Free market investment made it flourish.
@luke55664 Re: "Libertarianism has been around since the 19th century."
OK, but I live in the 21st century. If this is such a good idea, why has it not taken hold?
@henleythecat Reason TV is a Libertarian group. They are in favor of privatizing the education system. They would see the Dept of Edu. dissolved and replace our State/Gov run system with a privately managed one. Allowing parents more control over their child's education through a form of voucher program in which the money would follow the child creating competition within the system. History show us that this would considerably lower the cost of edu. while improving the quality.
@henleythecat Libertarianism/ Classic liberalism, along with a host of other 'Isms" are evident throughout our society. Sad you can't see this or know the difference.
@redlightmax
over 200 US military bases around the globe - didn't know how BIG the US are.
@kev3d Again, you have a bias view of history. The first hybrids were developed by the Japanese as a response to the GM EV1 electric car and new pending regulations in CA. GM dropped the EV1 under pressure from parts mfg and the oil companies. It was the pending CA requirements that spurned that innovation. When CA drop their regs under threat of legal action, that opened up the door to the SUV market.
i wonder when the "brain drain" will start happening here in the US.
@luke55664 "quit criticizing others' views simply because you can. "
Two points
1. I did not criticize any view, I only ask some questions. However, your response is very telling
2. If you believe in personal freedom, then why are you attacking me for exercising my freedom to express an opinion, or ask questions?
Seems that you are the one who doesn't believe in freedom.
I'm done, have a good day.
@luke55664 OK, I didn't know that.
I have mixed feelings about the voucher system, and I'm not yet convinced. Can you give me an example of country that has such a system?
However, that does not change my mind that this vid was a waste of time.
3:34 "I give half my wealth to charities"
You see, Capitalist are more socialist than socialist they themselves preach. Ironic isn't it?
@averagejoe040 If by friendly environment you mean third world countries with few rules and regulations then yes I agree. these countries that they use are only used for tax purposes, it's not like these countries are closer to the oil. In my opinion our government should stop subsidizing the oil companies some that are not even Ameican. why should the tax payer pay for the oil twice, once when we go to the pump and then the government pays them again with our tax dollars.
@averagejoe040 don't fool yourself, the only reason our jobs were sent overseas is for larger profits for the wealthy. And as far as what is causing this global reccession well you can thank the banksters for that.. they have been showing record profits while the rest of us are getting poorer and poorer. I will end with something that even a child knows, when playing monolpy the game is over when all the players except one has no money.
@joshua1auhsoj
Yes, I can see how it creates chooses.
lew rockwell dot com?
@henleythecat Any questions now? How anyone could watch this and not follow what they're all about ought not to comment on the context of their opinions, in my opinion. Sorry, but there is a difference between an opinion and an informed opinion. You, obviously are not informed much with regard to political ideologies. Libertarianism has been around since the 19th century.
Wow. California is so doomed.
I think he's ready to shed his skin suit. Are all republicans lizards or just the rich ones?
@henleythecat Nice trick but your indignant piety doesn't work with me. I am saying you offer nothing so why bother. That is fact lady not opinion. Remember, it was you that could not see any relevant point to this video, not I. I tried to help you but your insistence that I have proof or cite a method in use to make a point is ludicrous and leaves me to believe discourse is something you're not interested in. Now you have a nice day as well!
@kev3d So far, I can agree with about half of what I am reading about Libertarianism, but the other half is troubling. For example, your comment about govt is not "highly involved" in tech. I worked for HP, and I can tell you that most of the tech innovations of today came from seeds planted by govt. The IC was first picked up by DOD and NASA before Sony created the Walkman and IC's took off. Boeing 707 was first a USAFair tanker the B-37. etc.