Matthew J. Cunningham

Matt Cunningham is a principal in Pacific Strategies, in Orange County.
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What is the latest on CA's political blog sites?
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- Conflict?
- Senate Debate: Carly did well, journalists failed
- Jerry Roberts Critiques Food Spread In Debate Media Room
- Live Tweeting The Debate
- Stealthy teacher proves that education dollars should go to classroom, not bureaucracy
- San Diego Flips
- VIDEO: Fleischman Interviews Rep. Tom Price, Chairman of the House Republican Study Committee
- Rep. Loretta Sanchez visits Hef & Crystal At The Playboy Mansion; Hef Tweets!
- Let The Debates Begin
- OCBC - Undeserved Raspberry? OCBC Says They Did NOT Support AB 1998...
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Thursday Night Live: Thousand Oaks City Council Candidate Brandon Millan (Source: VC Star Brian Dennert)
Whitman primary spending No. 2 in dollar-per-vote breakdown (Source: SacBee Capitol Alert)
Boxer continues criticism of GOP challenger Fiorina (Source: SacBee Capitol Alert)
Fiorina Routed by Boxer In CA-Senate Debate (Source: CA Progress Report)
Kellogg honored as labor leader (Source: CCTimes/OakTrib Politics Blog)
Bid denied to force Brown, Schwarzenegger to appeal Prop. 8 (Source: SacBee Capitol Alert)
Psssttt, Carly Supports Prop 23, Opposes AB 32 (Source: Calitics)
CD11: McNerney and Harmer in dead heat (Source: CCTimes/OakTrib Politics Blog)
Go To BlogScan PageFR BlogScan
What is the latest on CA's political blog sites?
Go to FR BlogScanFR BlogScan
Thursday Night Live: Thousand Oaks City Council Candidate Brandon Millan (Source: VC Star Brian Dennert)
Whitman primary spending No. 2 in dollar-per-vote breakdown (Source: SacBee Capitol Alert)
Boxer continues criticism of GOP challenger Fiorina (Source: SacBee Capitol Alert)
Fiorina Routed by Boxer In CA-Senate Debate (Source: CA Progress Report)
Kellogg honored as labor leader (Source: CCTimes/OakTrib Politics Blog)
Bid denied to force Brown, Schwarzenegger to appeal Prop. 8 (Source: SacBee Capitol Alert)
Psssttt, Carly Supports Prop 23, Opposes AB 32 (Source: Calitics)
CD11: McNerney and Harmer in dead heat (Source: CCTimes/OakTrib Politics Blog)
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2010
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December ( 154 )November ( 161 )October ( 124 )Tips and Leads
Recent Comments
Matt Munson on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Tom Kaptain on Conflict?
james sills on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Bill Wiese on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Ken Hunter on VIDEO: U.S. Rep. Ed Royce: Speaking Out On Spending!
Ken Hunter on VIDEO: U.S. Rep. Ed Royce: Speaking Out On Spending!
Ken Hunter on Reader Rebuttal: Chuck DeVore On Prop. 22
Ashley Ingram on CRP Convention: The Rules Committee Controversy - Or "Why Are People Talking About YR's?"
Ed Laning on Senate Debate: Carly did well, journalists failed
james sills on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Bill Wiese on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Ken Hunter on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Bill Wiese on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Rohit Joy on Assembly Republicans Unanimously Call On Governor To Order An Appeal Filed In Prop. 8 Case
Ken Hunter on Plastic Bag Bag/Paper Bag Tax Defeated In State Senate!
FlashReport Weblog on California Politics
CalPERS Board Candidate Thinks Making Money Is Wrong Priority
by Matthew J. Cunningham - Orange County (bio) (email)(print)
The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) is the largest public pension fund in the United States. It manages $190 billion in assets, and it's chief actuary stated in August that it pension costs are "unsustainable."
So, when someone calls for a "sustainable" CalPERS, you'd think they were calling for reining in the state's swollen public pension benefit system.
Well, that would all depend on what you mean by "sustainable." Muriel Strand, a candidate for one of two member-at-large spots on the CalPERS Board of Administration, has an entirely different meaning in mind when she talks about a "sustainable CalPERS."
Strand, an air resources engineer retired from CARB, thinks money isn't the most important thing when it comes to managing CalPERS:
"I believe retirees' real economic needs - clean air and water, healthy food, and warmth - are more important than strictly financial benefits..."
Pffft...lousy money! It's so overrated when it comes to retirement! Muriel thinks CalPERS biggest problem isn't unsustainable growth or a massive unfunded liability -- it's climate change:
Climate de-stabilization caused by our cheap-energy fossil-fuel addiction has already begun to change the physical world we depend on, a reality that money only reflects. Thus, conventional concepts about money, interest rates, investment, benefits, etc., must be constantly questioned. The theories which CalPERS staff use to guide investment must be regularly reconsidered and recalibrated.
That's right -- CalPERS needs to get beyond "return on investment," "interest rates" and other distracting "money concepts" and focus on healing the planet! really -- CalPERS needs to get it's priorities straight.
Ask yourself: would you hire someone with Strand's attitude to manage your investments? Shouldn't CalPERS board members place "strictly financial benefits" pretty high up the financial priorities totem pole?
Is Strand a political extremist? Of course. What's scary is someone with her radical ideas about the relationship between the citizen and the state was working at a state agency dedicated altogether with regulating how people live and work. Even scarier is there isn't that much substantive difference, when it comes to politico-environmental philosophy, between a "fringe" personality like Strand and "mainstream" politicians like Arnold Schwarzenegger and most Democratic legislators.









































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