{"id":15173,"date":"2012-07-11T18:20:51","date_gmt":"2012-07-11T18:20:51","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2012-07-11T18:20:51","modified_gmt":"2012-07-11T18:20:51","slug":"seen_what_s_happening_in_scranton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2012\/07\/11\/seen_what_s_happening_in_scranton\/","title":{"rendered":"Seen What\u2019s Happening in Scranton?"},"content":{"rendered":"

RUSH: Have you heard about Scranton, Pennsylvania? Here we go again. First you had Stockton. (haughty PBS impression) It\u2019s “Stockton.” Yes, when I was in Sacramento, the PBS station there also covered the Stockton market. And you know how the PBS people talk. They give the call letters of the station at the top of the hour for the ID, and I forget what it was, you know, WBSS, whatever, (haughty PBS impression) “Sacramento, Stockton.” You and I would say, “WBSS Sacramento, Stockton.” (haughty PBS impression) “No, no, no. WBSS Sacramento, Stockton.” <\/p>\n

Anyway, Stockton is bankrupt, and now Scranton, Pennsylvania, found itself down to its last $5,000 in the bank last week. “Democratic mayor took a highly unusual step: he unilaterally cut the pay of city workers — including police officers, firefighters and even himself — to the minimum wage, just $7.25 an hour. Now the city\u00c2\u2019s unions are fighting for their promised pay in court. ‘The teenagers who work at the ice cream stand not far from my house, they make $8.50 an hour — that\u00c2\u2019s a dollar and a quarter more than I now make,\u2019 said John J. Judge IV, a 10-year veteran firefighter who is the president of the Scranton local of the firefighters\u00c2\u2019 union. But Scranton finds itself in a position that is unusual even in this era of widespread budget pain: It has nearly run out of cash and, so far, no one is willing to lend it more.<\/p>\n

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“As the city has fallen behind on its bills, it has received warning letters from the company that sells it gasoline for its police cars and fire trucks; the landfill where it dumps its garbage; and even its water company, which threatened to cut off service, according to a lawsuit that Mayor Christopher A. Doherty filed against Scranton\u00c2\u2019s City Council last month. … A majority on the Council turned Scranton into a financial pariah this spring by refusing to honor a guarantee that the city had placed on the revenue bonds issued by its parking authority.”<\/p>\n

So the credit rating was hit by not guaranteeing bonds. No lender is willing to step up. The Democrat mayor doesn\u2019t have any money, and so he\u2019s cut everybody back to the minimum wage, and so everybody is suing. (laughing) No, no. I\u2019m not laughing about it. I\u2019m laughing because Snerdley\u2019s in there applauding. “Mr. Doherty, who did not return calls seeking comment, told The Times-Tribune of Scranton last week that the city could not afford to make its payroll. ‘What am I going to pay them with?\u2019 he asked.”<\/p>\n

That is exactly right. What am I gonna pay \u2019em with? They can\u2019t run a deficit. Nobody will lend \u2019em the money. What is a deficit but borrowed money? Nobody will lend them any. There are no IOUs, and they, unlike Obama, cannot print any money. Scranton, Pennsylvania, has been in the control of Democrats since forever. And the mayor there has been pushing for insane tax increases. Where\u2019s Obama on this? He doesn\u2019t give a rat\u2019s rear end. It was Bush\u2019s fault. <\/p>\n

“San Bernardino on Tuesday became the third California city in less than a month to seek bankruptcy protection, with officials saying the financial situation had become so dire that it could not cover payroll through the summer. The unexpected vote came at the suggestion of the interim city manager, who said the city faces a $46-million deficit and depleted coffers.” So Scranton and Stockton are spreading now to San Bernardino. Can\u2019t cover salaries through the summer. It\u2019s the tip of the iceberg. These cities have been on spending sprees. They have been promising and committing money that they knew they weren\u2019t gonna have. Hope and change. Bankruptcy. Folks, this is government. This is what government does when people have the opportunity to spend money that isn\u2019t theirs. <\/p>\n

BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n

<\/a>RUSH: We\u2019ve got the mayor of Scranton. We talked about Scranton, Pennsylvania. This is Chris Doherty. He was on America\u2019s Newsroom today with Martha MacCallum. They had a talk about the firefighters filing suit against the mayor because he\u2019s cut everybody\u2019s salaries down there to minimum wage. And Martha MacCallum said, “What are you saying to the firemen?”<\/p>\n

DOHERTY: We\u2019ve known of the troubles that were gonna happen this year because our council passed a budget that was based on borrowing, and now they\u2019ve been unwilling to fund that borrowing. And, as a result, we have a shortfall. It\u2019s unfortunate city council has passed a budget that\u2019s based on borrowing and is unwilling to fund it. It\u2019s a very difficult situation. But I always have said, this — I\u2019ve been elected three times — you have to be honest with the people and say, “These are what your services cost.” You know, we have been burdened with a lot of legacy costs in Scranton. Our health care bill is $15 million. The majority of that bill goes to retirees. <\/p>\n

RUSH: A-ha.<\/p>\n

DOHERTY: Those are agreements that were made before I became the mayor. And we need to address and understand those costs. You know, cities like Scranton, where these type of arrangements were made, have been very burdensome.<\/p>\n

RUSH: And Bush did it. I don\u2019t know when Bush was mayor of Scranton, but it doesn\u2019t matter. He doesn\u2019t have to be mayor of Scranton. He was president; he caused the problems. The mayor cut his own salary to minimum wage, too. So he\u2019s all-in. I mean he\u2019s not asking of others what he\u2019s not asking of himself. But anyway, you hear they\u2019ve got $15 million that they have to come up with to pay the health care benefits for retired city workers. The money was never going to be there. And what this guy is saying, he\u2019s saying it without saying it, is, “Look, I\u2019m here, it\u2019s an accident of typing. I happen to be mayor when all this stuff comes due. All this stuff was done by people before I got here.” Which is true, but he ran for office, he wanted the gig. I think he\u2019s doing everything. I don\u2019t know if he\u2019s chopping the retirees\u2019 money off, but he\u2019s gotta come up with this $15 million for their health care bill. <\/p>\n

You know, this is obscene. What health care costs is literally obscene, and there\u2019s no reason for it other than the government getting involved in it back when they did in the sixties when all this — well, it actually predates that, but it intensified in the sixties. It\u2019s just absurd that health care should be one of the most expensive things in any culture. Literally absurd. <\/p>\n

BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n

RUSH: Here\u2019s Ned in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.<\/p>\n

CALLER: Yes, sir! How you doing?<\/p>\n

RUSH: I\u2019m okay. How are you?<\/p>\n

CALLER: I\u2019m pretty fair. I just wanted to point out that even if Scranton was fiscally sound and well-managed, they\u2019re still doomed.<\/p>\n

RUSH: Why is that?<\/p>\n

CALLER: It\u2019s in the coal region!<\/p>\n

RUSH: Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho. Okay.<\/p>\n

CALLER: Our Dear Leader and his minions have told everybody they\u2019re going to destroy them.<\/p>\n

RUSH: Exactly right. Obama has said that.<\/p>\n

CALLER: Why would anybody invest money there or lend them money?<\/p>\n