Kleptocracy

[unixronin]

The Silver Bear Cafe reports on the State of California, among others, redefining "unclaimed property" in order to loot their citizens' safe-deposit boxes to balance their budgets.  California has misappropriated $5.1 billion worth of Californian citizens' property to sell it off — often at pennies on the dollar — and dump the money into the state's general fund.

"They figured the safety-deposit box was safer than keeping it under the mattress," [attorney Bill] Palmer said.  "In the case of a lot of citizens, they were wrong, weren't they?"

[...]

California became so addicted to spending people's money, that, for years, it simply stopped sending notices to the rightful owners.  ABC News obtained a 1996 internal memo in which the lawyer for the Bureau of Unclaimed Property argued against expanding programs to notify rightful owners.  He wrote, "It could well result in additional claims of monies that would otherwise flow into the general fund."

(Pointer from mrmeval)

Comments

[lwj2.livejournal.com]

I do hope those running for office in the next state election point out that a vote for the incumbent is a vote for thievery.

It would be even better if the U.S. Attorney decided to prosecute them for violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Although I'm sure the DoJ could manage to screw up an open and shut case fairly easily. After all, they managed to screw up prosecuting the Pentagon Papers case.