Money & Politics | Daily Report

Thousands of you left comments, dozens followed up with phone calls and e-mails and tens of thousands paid a visit to our online payouts database.

The feedback we've received on last weekend's story about state workers cashing out millions of dollars in unused vacation and leave time has been fantastic.

The comments left on the story, both on our Web site and the sites of our partners who ran the story, echoed many of the very good arguments we heard while we were reporting the story.

For instance, one comment left at the Sacramento Bee by the user RagingPinko explains some of the troubles state workers have taking time off:

"Many state workers are presently on self-directed furloughs. These days have to be taken before other vacation time, so vacation time accumulates even though employees are taking time off. In addition the staff reductions are leaving many agencies shorthanded, so employees can't take time off."

Another post, by Bee commenter Cousin Al, echoed the point of view that the story was making a mountain out of a molehill:

"This is much ado about nothing. There is little or no abuse here. Money paid out is earned money and is either paid out in small amounts or paid out in one lump sum. Taxes are taken out of the payment. As I see it the typical employee is exercising good judgment by saving money instead of spending as it comes in. That same employee is spending the time involved at work instead of off work. There is no overtime rate of pay for this leave time. So what is the problem? The article reads as if it is just intended to be inflammatory."

Carter, commenting at the North County Times, expressed another frustration we've heard a lot: that state employees receive lavish benefits unavailable to most in the private sector:

"What is going on here – there – in the state gov? when our state gov does poorly they make many commercial companies look very good. When I retired from a commercial, for-profit, company I had well over 30 days vacation saved up. I lost everything over thirty days – and that is the way it should be.

"If the rules have been broken and those people have walked off with our money, they should be made to pay it back and suffer the penalties if they have broken the law. That includes those that allowed this travesty to happen."

Bloggers and other media organizations have weighed in as well. Here's a roundup of a few interesting things we've seen pop up around the Web:

• The Fresno Bee's editorial board wrote on the subject, calling the scenario "another outrageous abuse of government that taxpayers must fund because of the inability of state officials to properly manage a payrolll."
• Beyond the media outlets we partnered with to launch the story, blogs like the San Diego News Network, California Progress Report and Cal Watchdog weighed in. The news migrated to the East Coast by way of ProPublica and USA Today. Even a blog in Paris gave the story some love.
•  The California Stem Cell Report pointed out an annual audit about unused leave at the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
• In a bizarre coincidence, the Web site Human Resource Executive Online published a story Monday about state government leave donation programs.

We're planning some more follow-ups in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. In the mean time, keep the great tips and feedback coming.