Tim Cavanaugh Discusses the Bell California Tax Revolt On Fox Business' Varney & Co.


The Fiesta de Té keeps on coming. Reason talks with Fox's Stuart Varney about how tiny Bell, Calif. could be an indicator of future protests against excessive taxes, fees, permit costs that ultimately end up paying excessive salaries to excessive public servants.


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  1. For a few moments I thought “Wow, these residents of Bell might be going too far, they seem really angry.”

    But then I realized that the Bell city officials could make more money if they went anywhere else, so really, the whole thing is irrelevant to them.

  2. Bell city officials could make more money if they went anywhere else


    Where can a mayor of a city with 30k residents make 600k a year?

    1. I suspect he was being fictitious.

      Sarcasm doesn’t always translate well into text, and hell, I’ve seen people argue some pretty ridiculous things.

      My sarcasm detector sometimes gets stuck too, but I think he was kidding.

      Seriously, the only people who make that much are typically people who actually generate wealth…

      …and no, city officials do not generate wealth.

    2. He’s referring to the City Manager who said he could make more money elsewhere, for real.

      1. “He’s referring to the City Manager who said he could make more money elsewhere, for real.”

        It’s amazing to me what some people will say. I mean, why would anybody in his position say something like that? But they do!

        I was processing plans through a traffic planner for a project once, and every time I paid the engineer to do another traffic study, they seemed to ask for something more. By the end, you could stack all the traffic studies I did for this project about three feet high. I told him, look, I’ll do whatever studies you want, but just show me where the finish line is and leave it there, would you? Every time I think I’m at the finish line, you keep moving it farther away…

        And the traffic engineer says, “Well, we’re just makin’ it up as we go along.”

        I’ve spent 80 grand on a traffic study goose chase–but why would you say something like that to somebody? Were you really surprised when I went to the planning commission and told them you said that? Why?!

        The only explanation I can think of is that these people are just so unaccustomed to being held responsible for what they say, that the idea that what they say can and does have consequences doesn’t really even occur to them anymore.

        How completely divorced from reality do you have to be to tell people, “Oh yeah, I could make even more somewhere else”?

        It’s so irresponsible–to yourself! There’s gonna be consequences to saying stuff like that. I wouldn’t trust somebody who said something that stupid to babysit my dog. You gotta think there’s gonna be legal ramifications.

        I’m sure there’s some state or federal prosecutor lickin’ his chops somewhere, gettin’ ready to make sure every “i” was dotted…

        ’cause makin’ this guy do the perp walk could make somebody’s political career.

  3. By the way, best appearance by Cavanaugh on television yet.

    1. everytime I see him on TV, he always has that goofy “frat boys 1st time at a strip club” grin on his face…….

      1. hehehehehe



    2. I’ve never seen him on video before. Who knew he could be so charming? Even kind of sweet?

      1. Almost human!

        ; )

        It was his best appearance on TV, no doubt.

  4. I would like to see a “citizens’ guide” for how to discover total compensation for local government officials. It can be very difficult to find this sort of thing out unless you know the right questions, people, or files. This would be a huge help for activists. Does such a thing exist?

    About 3 years ago, a former boss of mine who was on our local township council and had to move out of the area for a change of assignment offered to “sponsor” me to run for the seat he was vacating. I turned the offer down because I did not have time to do both my normal job and have a “public” life at the same time (of course I took his old job, so he must have managed somehow). Anyway, sometimes I kick myself for not taking the opportunity to get involved in local politics. But most of the time I pat myself on the back for avoiding that sewer.

  5. Oh wow, that looks like its gonna be a lot of fun.


  6. So it racist to ask what the ethnicity of the city manager and city council are and to surmise that culture may have played a role here?

    1. It was a fat white guy. I think. The council looked to be mostly white as well.

      They are all probably racists.

  7. The council is Latino as is a huge majority of the city. The fat cat ex-manager’s last name is Rizzo and the citizens keep making Mafia references so…

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