Government in "action"

Not much happening in the TTC world. I'm waiting for AF to begin. Maybe Friday. I hope no earlier than Friday since I'm only P+9 today. I think I commented to someone (or agreed with her) that the only good thing about a short LP is that it doesn't leave you guessing long. Tarnished silver lining in every cloud.

We have had good news - more or less - on the work front. Our beloved governor and legislature have agreed upon a bridge budget. Most state workers and vendors can now be paid while they argue over a permanent 2009 - 2010 budget. I say most state workers can be paid, but some can't. I don't know why - their agencies sit on a slightly different budget line item, I suppose. It makes no sense to me.

An actual payday is the "more" part of the good news. The "less" would be the pink slips that will be going out. Some people will be furloughed. The governor will address that later today. The rumor mill is running as usual. According to the latest, the governor will be targeting those bureaus whose programs are being cancelled.

These initial layoffs - 300 - 800 - may be the tip of the iceberg. The Sunday paper reported that we could have as many at 6000 - 8000. The legislature isn't fazed by that. According to one senator when questioned about this, the Commonwealth isn't an employment agency. Sweet, generous, kind man. I don't supposed he'd care to set an example by stepping down from his job? Ah, no? I see. Others of the legislature refuse to state exactly how many might lose their jobs, noting instead that agencies don't need to necessarily cut people. As long as they can cut costs somewhere, that's all that's needed. They fail to mention that all agencies under the governor's jurisdiction have already cut as much as they can. The only thing left is people.

I don't think it's right. Unless an organization is running in the red or about to go belly up, I don't believe layoff is ever a solution. It's especially reprehensible when the only reason a company threatens a layoff is to increase its profit. I know of several large organizations in the area that have done that. They weren't hurting in any way, but the recession made a convenient excuse to cut more people. I wonder what happened to all of that corporate responsibility they enjoyed touting?

In the case of the state, I believe it's time that the governor and legislature take a look in their own closets. They can save money by cutting out their unnecessary money pits. Do we really need to fund the building of sports stadiums - from minor league to major league - throughout the state? Is it necessary just now to widen the sidewalks around the Capitol Complex when they've been like that for years? Must we create special 6-figure positions for the governor's acquaintances during a hiring freeze? Must we fund new pet projects when they aren't essential right now? Do we really need to pump more money into the education budget which has ballooned throughout this governor's term but has shown few positive results?

I'm off my soapbox for now. Writing about this works me up. I need to step away.

I'd like to end this by saying I hope they can live with themselves. I'd like to, but I won't. If they can do that, they have no remorse. We can't have that. So I'll end this by saying I hope all of this comes back to bite them in the backside. If they want to act like politicians, we'll treat them like politicians. We'll vote the lot of the them out in November.