Bell, California became the poster child for everything that is wrong with government when it was revealed that three city officials there were paid $1.6 million to work in a city of fewer than 40,000 residents.
The Bell city manager was paid $787,637 a year. The police chief’s salary was $457,000, and the assistant city manager was paid $376,288.
When somebody finally noticed these huge salaries, the three were forced to resign.
Four of the City Council members who make nearly $100,000 a year will probably be recalled or voted out of office. Monday night, the members of the Bell City Council voted to give themselves a 90 percent pay cut to $673 a month.
The greed of public officials is only part of the story. It was allowed to happen because of lack of oversight by the public and media.
Bottom line: Bell is what happens in the absence of watchdogs. That’s scary, because watchdogs in the media are becoming casualties of the business reality threatening the extinction of media outlets, including newspapers.
Read More: Visali Times-Delta
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Bottom line: "Bell is what happens in the absence of watchdogs.": If only more Bells could "ring" coast to coast throughout the country! Yes! Bell in California definitely is the poster child for everything that is wrong with our government(Federal and state)!
VISTOR,
WELL STATED !
WHERE WERE THE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST ?
If the media would quit being political Party lapdogs and do their jobs, this could never happen. However, it is happening at the federal level also. The federal government continues committing outrageous, unconstitutional acts, and the fawning sycophants merely drool over them. The people snivel and whine about all the things government is "doing to us." Disgusting! The people quit being watchdogs a century ago. So, I guess that's why we get what we don't ask for.
Goldbug36 … you are exactly right. We get what we don't ask for. We have sent people to D.C. trusting they would look out for the country and they haven't'. From now on we need to take Reagan's advice…Trust but Verify! We are going to have to be watchdogs from now on or this country will go down the drain. We need to teach our kids to be watchdogs, too.
GOLD BUG 36 ,
I TOTALLY AGREE!
EVEN FOX NEWS IS CONTEMPTIBLE IN THE COVER UPS !
ESPECIALLY PERTAINING TO OUR GAY BOY IN CHARGE.
MEDIA COVERAGE ?
IT DOES NOT EXIST !
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE TRUTH !
EXAMPLES: 1. OBAMA'S NOT BEING A LEGAL NATURIALIZED CITIZEN
2.OBAMA'S ORAL SEX ESCAPADE WITH LARRY SINCLAIR
NO NEED TO LIST MORE THOUGH THERE ARE MORE THAN I COULD LIST HERE DUE TO LIMITATIONS OF NUMBER OF CHARACTERS YOU HAVE AVAILABLE TO USE.
BELL, you people who live and vote there look like FOOLS !!!!
LOL ! SO TRUE THOMAS…
These outrages amount to nothing but total disrespect for all Americans.
Now, let's look at the bright side. Bell, Ca. corruption down, more to go!
TRUE GUEST …..
It has nothing to do with being anyone's lapdog. There was nobody watching the city council in Bell because Bell doesn't have its own media outlet and other news organizations have been cutting back staff for years. Many have been cheering those cutbacks as a sign that "liberal media" is on the ropes. This is what happens as a result. By the way, the nearest local paper to Bell is the conservative-libertarian Orange County Register. Where were they?