I heard on my car radio this AM about the likely prospects of the City of Vallejo, CA possibly filing for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. For those who are unfamiliar with this city, it's just across the George Miller Bridge, North of San Francisco. This is some very pricey real estate.
What really caught my interest about this news story was the wages paid to members of their Police Department. According to the news a patrolman on their force makes $120,000 a year. A Sergeant makes $151,000 and the upper ranks make $220,000 a year and up.
Now, I'm pretty well in tune with what law enforcement types make around the Country, but this really seems excessive. Before someone tries to give me grief about the risks that police officers take and "their worth every penny" - I spent many years in law enforcement and had to feed my family on a whole lot less and that was after the dinosaurs roamed the earth.
The article says that 20 police and fireman are looking to retire as they are afraid they will not receive their benefits. City Council Member, Stephanie Gomes is quoted as saying, "We've been spending more than we been making for 20 years and now it's time to pay the piper." Ya think!
