Wowza! Those San Bernadino benefits make the former federal civil service look cheap. And here I thought those were the highest in the country, and Reagan, like him or not, had the good sense to reform that 38 years ago.

So maybe the fiscal cliff is the right way to go; every sacred cow gives up a bit for the cause. Except I think I read SS, medicare, and medicaid are exempt from the cliff. If so, that's fundamentally stupid, given the % of the federal budget those represent.