California dreamin' on pension reform

A California activist wants to be savagely murdered by public employee union thugs.

Not really, of course, but Paul McCauley is taking on pretty tough opponents with his ballot initiative effort to cut public employee pensions. Here is the text:

It's telling that McCauley (who is no conservative) states in the initiative language that employee salaries would be increased to make up for pension cuts. Public employee pensions have been able to get so far out of control only because they accrue largely outside of public view. Unions depend very heavily on that shroud of secrecy.

Kentucky's public pension disaster won't be averted by renegotiation of benefits, just as California's won't. The entrenched special interests would rather watch our houses burn down. To say the least, Kentucky has some very important budgeting decisions to make. Our officials had better start making some of them pretty soon instead of goofing around hoping the problem will just go away.