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Labor's Edge Articles by Bob Balgenorth
7/6/10
Same Old Story: Rich Republican Tycoon Against Pro-Worker Public Servant
by Bob Balgenorth
A wealthy tycoon is trying to buy her way into a statewide office against a veteran public servant with a terrific record on the issues that matter to most to working people. Would that be Meg Whitman, running against former Governor Jerry Brown? Well, yes, she fits the description.
But it’s the same story in the race for U.S. Senator from California, where rich tycoon Carly Fiorina won the Republican primary by pouring her immense personal wealth into her campaign, and who now hopes that her wealth will buy her the seat currently held by a great friend of working men and women, Senator Barbara Boxer.
3/4/10
Arnold’s Furloughs Have Flopped, Hurt Workers, Businesses, and All Californians
by Bob Balgenorth
When the national recession battered California’s tax revenues and threw the state budget hugely out of balance, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to convince us that he could solve the problem with furloughs.
The plan has been a disaster. It hasn’t saved the state money. It has been a drag on the state and ultimately worsened the budget crisis. It’s disrupted state services, and, in turn, increasingly crippled the economy, slowed the recovery, and stopped job creation—especially in the construction field.