A former police chief in Stockton, California is being cited as a symbol of public-employee excess.

This article from The Atlantic identifies one of the tragic outcomes when elected “public servants” act like drunken pirates during the “good time” days. Kind of reminds us of the “ant and the grass hopper.”

“With Stockton, California officially bankrupt, one of its luckier residents, Tom Morris, once again finds himself in the news. His $204,000 per year pension is seen as a symbol of the public employee excesses that helped push the city into insolvency. $204,000 is a lot of money most places in America. The San Joaquin County municipality is no exception. The average median household income there is $45,700 per year. The vast majority of its residents can scarcely imagine retiring at age 52 and receiving more than $200,000 every year for the rest of their lives.

“That’s why Bloomberg News led a recent story with an anecdote about Tom Morris, why the San Francisco Chronicle republished it, why Matt Welch of Reason noted it, and why it intrigues me too.

“The national media is only rehashing a debate they’ve been having in Stockton for awhile. A local newspaper story from 2008 helps explain the career trajectory of this controversial man. ‘Born and raised in Stockton, Morris joined the department as a junior cadet in 1972 and became an officer in 1979. During his career, he has served as a patrol officer, SWAT team member, homicide investigator and in the department’s Internal Affairs Division,’ the piece states.

In early 2008, he was named police chief. He retired eight months later when Stockton, already having serious financial problems, was forced to order staff furloughs. Chief Morris would have faced 12 days off, which ‘would have reduced his roughly $175,000 annual salary by about 5.8 percent, according to Human Resources Department Director Diana Garcia.’ The contemporaneous article went on to state the following:

“Morris said his decision was not motivated by money but by principle. ‘Money wasn’t the issue,’ he said. ‘Just don’t take away what I’ve already earned.'”

“Retiring on “principle” apparently had the salutary benefit of a pension that would pay out more than his annual salary. Said the article:

“When Morris assumed leadership of the Police Department in March, he said he would stay for three to five years, barring any personal matter that might force his retirement. The furlough, and the resulting loss of income, is that personal matter, he said. He has to consider the effect on his family, he said. ‘In all my years in law enforcement, they’ve taken a back seat,’ he said.”

If you’ve got the stomach for this kind of “public servant” stupidity that leads to insane excess and abuse, click here to continue reading this article from The Atlantic.

And you may want to read this article from Government Executive, “Congressional pay raise in 2013?” Of course, you, too, as your lawmakers, “who earn $174,000 a year if they don’t hold leadership positions” are in this income stratosphere. And you’re getting a raise!

Un-flippin’-believable.