Instead of raising my taxes - maybe California could answer the phone.

Sometimes you hear stuff, and think - that can't possibly be right.

Well, my first thought was "how do phone messages cost 24 million dollars"? Which sent me searching the Internet to find anyone outraged at the idea my state is paying 24 million dollars telling people on unemployment to call back later - or simply pointing them to the EDD website. Which I'd read is also not functioning correctly. Making it so people just have to wind up calling EDD anyway.

I actually couldn't find a recent news report about this. Though I did find one from March 9th saying that EDD had run up a 4.4 million bill. Here. Making me wonder - did my state really just plow through 19 million dollars in a little over three weeks? Helping NO ONE!?

Now, I'm used to the government wasting money - but, those people paid into that fund. It is their money. Unlike all this other bullshit that is just spreading other people's money around.

Also from the OCregister link it says:


"The agency is in the process of hiring more than 400 people statewide to help with call centers and unemployment claims processing. However, new hirees go through five months of training, so little relief on the phone lines is expected any time soon."

Did you see that part where it says hirees go through five months of training. Really? Hasn't unemployment doubled in 5 months? Jeez - if those people are unemployed another 3 months, how much is that going to cost us? 60 Mil?

Yet, just today they raised taxes on everything. But, they can't pay the unemployed, or tax refunds. Thank goodness the government is here to help us.