Corruption on a Bell Curve

“Fiesta de Té”
From: Gary L. Bauer
The liberal elites have been trying to paint the Tea Party movement as racist. But events in a small California city suggest otherwise.

There is a taxpayer/citizen uprising taking place in Bell, California, against corrupt government officials. It has already claimed the scalps of several top city leaders. The liberal media is trying hard to ignore it, but the story is beginning to break out. It’s a story of Big Government excess and greed against a low-income minority community.

Bell is a small city of about 40,000 residents, 10 miles south of Los Angeles. According to various reports, about half its residents are foreign born (mostly Mexican), its per-capita income is just under $25,000 and more than 25% of its residents live below the poverty level.

Somehow this small, impoverished community was paying its city manager more than $787,000 a year. The police chief made more than $450,000 a year, and the assistant city manager was making more than $375,000 a year. The three individuals were the highest paid city officials in the country. Part-time city council members in Bell were making nearly $100,000 a year.

Granted, what was happening in Bell, just one small town in California, is an extreme example. But throughout the country, liberal politicians and public employee unions have been extraordinarily generous with the people’s money. So much so that many towns now can’t afford the bureaucracies that have been built, and entire states like California, Illinois and New York are facing bankruptcy.

But proving that opposition to out-of-control Big Government is not a fringe or racist movement, Bell’s outraged residents took action. They stormed city hall with homemade signs and demands for less spending and smaller government. Given the community’s demographics, many referred to it as a “Spanish Tea Party.”

They formed a group called the “Bell Association to stop the Abuse,” BASTA, which is Spanish for “enough.” The protestors forced the resignation of the city manager, assistant manager and police chief. Yesterday, city council members agreed to slash their salaries by 90%. The mayor and vice mayor announced that they will finish their terms without pay.