Reading The Baltimore Sun yesterday and I find myself insulted. Normally, I am insulted by the editorial page, but this one was a first. In the world of punditry where people make stupid comments on both sides of the aisle and at any given time, I actually found myself insulted by what Patrick Moran, director of AFSCME was quoted as saying in the paper this morning regarding state employees facing layoffs and furloughs.
From The Baltimore Sun:
"The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest state worker union, decried the proposal, saying O'Malley shouldn't balance the budget "on the backs" of workers. Still, union director Patrick Moran said the furlough plan is preferable to layoffs, which would have been "unthinkable."
I do think that the union is correct in that O'Malley shouldn't have used state employees to balance the budget. In fact, I'll join House Minority Leader Tony O'Donnell from Southern Maryland saying that the Governor should not have took his time in analyzing the budget, as he did in the early part of his term. He also should not have made lofty promises which lead to pushing a large tax hike in hopes of funding these dreams, only for it to go bust as we are seeing now.
Outside of that, I have one question for Mr. Moran, what makes a state employee more special than me? For the record, I am not wishing ill will on state employees, I don't like to see ANYONE lose their job (unless it's a bad politico who was voted out, which means they would just return to their day job full-time, so they are not technically unemployed.) I know sometimes we like to romanticize state employees as public servants, but the government runs on the same money that the private industry does. Yes, government can print their own money, assuming that they really want to make inflation bad.
As some of you know, I have been personally affected by this economy. I was blessed enough to been able to transition into a regular full-time job with a different company in a two week span after having my pay and hours cut, originally. My industry did not receive a bailout, nor a stimulus. The broadcast industry has been slimming down for months and a lot of my friends in general have been having a hard time in this economy, yet Mr. Moran is of the belief that layoffs of state employees are unthinkable?
Again, I do not want anyone to lose their job, but at the same time, you have to use common sense. If you cannot afford to pay for it, you can't buy it, which is what is happening in the private industry over these past few months. The economy is recovering, but with no thanks to the federal government. Remember, the stimulus only helped banks and governments get through their budget year until 2010.
Mr. Moran does not realize that NO ONE is immune from layoffs, paycuts (which I took this year) any of the other squeezes that is due to the sluggish economy.
P. Kenneth Burns is the editor of Maryland Politics Today. He lives in Baltimore County. His email is kburns@themdnews.com.
(cross-posted)
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
4 comments:
As a state employee, I agree that I am no more special than any other person who is employed. Which is the reason that I also find my self insulted that the State of Maryland sees fit to take money out of my pocket to run the goverment. Once again I am left with less time (furloughs) and less compensation to do my work. I agree MD needs to curtail spending. Cut services and lay off employees instead of cutting the veins of all state employees and bleeding us to death.
See, the union doesn't like pay cuts (reduced dues), but abhors job loss (no dues). And one more entity tries to make ends meet on the backs of it's workforce, not by charging a fare price above it's operating expenses or curtailing unnecessary expenditures. Over the years we, the public, have demanded certain things, but always for the cheapest price. Now, costs of production have risen, but we don't want to pay more and the local governments don't have the option to move their cost intensive (labor intensive) components offshore like a lot of our manufacturing companies have. Catch 22.
As an ex - union member who served on the Local Board and State Collective Bargaining Unit, I feel the AFSCME Union is as big a ripoff as the Politians in Maryland, along with the Liberal Democrats at the Federal level. I say this because they claim to have the power and prove they do have a lot of propaganda to get the Politians elected that they want, usually Liberal Democrats. They do not fight for workers rights when it comes to fighting the Politians they got elected. They have allowed State employees salary to be reduced while the Politians are exempt. The Politians and their Buddy system if they are included or agrees to pay the State the amount of the of Furlough days are not prorated equal to the amount a State worker loses in pay. This is one point that AFSCME is a hypocritical against the worker / member. the second point is they raise their dues every year no matter what. They are blood suckers that is just as bad as the Politians. I would encourage all members to drop AFSCME and vote for opposite canidates than the ones they endorse. State workers in doing this will show AFSCME, all Unions and the Politians who has the power.
The State of Maryland could lay off a large number of people just at UMES ALONE, and THAT would help balance the budget!! I know alot of people who work there and even THEY can't explain what the hell their job is!! All I know is, they are never at work!! They are over paid, given retirement and med benefits for LIFE and they can't even SPELL!! What the HELL?
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