Abraham: Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Sampson: I do bite my thumb, sir.
Abraham: Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Sampson: [Aside to Gregory] Is the law on our side if I say ‘ay’?
Gregory: No.
Sampson: No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir. But I bite my thumb, sir.
-From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet




Greenhut starts the editorial by explaining that he, like many of us, was shocked by the results of the 1st District Supervisorial election last Tuesday. I’ll agree with Greenhut’s assertion that this race should serve as a signal to politicians in central Orange County: The Vietnamese community wants their voice to be heard.
But then, in normal Greenhut fashion, he takes his argument a step too far, and loses logic:
This Nguyen-Nguyen finish – together they took nearly 50 percent of the vote in a 10-candidate field – showcased not only the increasing electoral importance of the area’s Vietnamese community, but the emptiness of the local public employee unions, which dumped tens of thousands of dollars into pro-Umberg independent expenditures that employed the normal lack of subtlety one expects from unions.
The emptiness of the local public employee unions? Give me a break, Steve. You’ve been covering local politics in Orange County for some time now; you can’t really believe these words that you write, right?
I’m fairly new at this, and even I can tell what the problem was; the unions picked a crappy candidate. It’s hard to sell Vitameatavegamin, if you don’t like the flavor. But I’d wouldn’t say that the unions were “empty.†They got a crappy candidate 10,000 votes!
Greenhut ended his column with some talk about TheLiberalOC.com:
As one public employee who opines for a local liberal blog wrote on Election Night, “public employees are screwed.†In fact, of course, public employees are not screwed.
Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Greenhut asks; “How many of you in the private sector are eligible for guaranteed pensions of 80 percent to 100 percent of your final year’s pay until the good Lord carries you home?†His premise is disingenuous in that it paints a picture with no basis in reality. To achieve the pension benefits he described that employee would need to work between 29.63 and 37 years. How many people in the private sector have worked, or expect to work, for their current employer for 30 years? Most County workers do not complete 30 years of service.
County workers should be fairly paid and receive reasonable benefits, including pensions. Their current pension plan is strong, stable, and secure, provided that we do not bankrupt the current system by putting new workers in a different retirement program as Supervisors Norby and Moorlach have suggested.
You know Steve? Opinions first, research second. The election showed the political force of the Vietnamese community and not a rebuke of public employee unions (like police and firefighters who might risk their lives to protect Steve’s burning home or his family from a robber). Would have been nice if he actually mentioned the site by name, but I’m guessing Steve’s gag reflex is triggered whenever he has to capitalize the word “Liberal.”
Does anyone really take this guy seriously? I remember someone referring to Bob Dornan as a “drop his pants” politician. Meaning he would do or say anything to get a response.
That is what Greenhut has become. And its only getting worse. If you follow his opinions on government to the nth degree he advocates anarchy. Fortunately the majority of folks have more sense than that.
Steve isn’t biting his thumb. It’s stuck somewhere else. Would you like a chocolate covered pretzel?
Gross, Dan. Totally gross…
Love it.
mL
I still don’t quite understand the whole biting his thumb at us reference.
But I do occasionally enjoy a chocolate-covered pretzel.
Especially the ones from Trader Joes with peanut butter inside.
YUM!
It’s a reference from the Kevin Smith movie “Mallrats” later repeated in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” Gotta love Jason Lee. Go see the films.