Budget cutting for everyone else
During tough economic times like these everyone talks about making the big cuts in government spending and reforming government but nobody does much. It's easy to see why. Any time the Governor, the legislature, or any leadership tries to cut a program there is a howl raised about who will get hurt and how much damage will be done as a result.
Case in point. Saturday's News and Observer has a front page article basically slamming Governor Perdue and our State Senate for doing little to reform the size and cost of state government. That part is true, but in that same paper, on the editorial page, is a two-column lamentation over the Senate's proposed cuts to More at Four and how it will hurt children. This is not a mere coincidence.
Budget cuts are, by their very nature, going to affect people. Time for some budget truth: everyone wants the budget cut, just not for the programs they champion. And if there is a threat to our pet program we will raise sand, then be highly critical when our elected officials won't make the tough calls about spending reductions. No wonder elected officials shy away from doing significant.
Case in point. Saturday's News and Observer has a front page article basically slamming Governor Perdue and our State Senate for doing little to reform the size and cost of state government. That part is true, but in that same paper, on the editorial page, is a two-column lamentation over the Senate's proposed cuts to More at Four and how it will hurt children. This is not a mere coincidence.
Budget cuts are, by their very nature, going to affect people. Time for some budget truth: everyone wants the budget cut, just not for the programs they champion. And if there is a threat to our pet program we will raise sand, then be highly critical when our elected officials won't make the tough calls about spending reductions. No wonder elected officials shy away from doing significant.
I'm getting very tired of the rudderless boat that each year's budget process has become. Here are my ideas to put the rudder back on and for the legislature to show us that it really is serious about providing a balanced budget (not that any legislator in NC would ever consider this).
1. Legislature to set the example: First item of the budget, if you want others to make cuts in their departments, make them in the legislature first. Want to reduce 10% of the workforce in state government, start with your own paid staff. Really want to impress us, cut legislative, governor’s, and state judicial pay by 10% because we can’t just lay off 10% of those people, even though some may want to. That should let the John Q. Public know that you are serious.
2. Stop payment to the legislature at the scheduled end of the session. State budget is built around a part-time legislature. When you go over that schedule, it costs all of us. Therefore, if the legislators know they won’t be paid after the last scheduled day of sessions, they will work harder to finish on-time.
3. Tie bonuses, raises and benefits for teachers and state employees back together. When we continuously raise teacher salaries by 3%-7%, give them bonuses and other special programs and hold other state employees back, because “we don’t have enough budget” we create a message that says that these employees are unimportant and don’t matter. Then we wonder why they are not as friendly and responsive to the public as they once were. If they really are unimportant, let them go (ie. fire them). If you want to keep quality employees, let them know they are wanted by keeping their base pay adjusted for annual inflation. Don’t set one group apart (teachers) and tell them they are special and then tell the next group they are worthless.
Also, I thought North Carolina had an open meetings law for ALL elected officials. If so, our newspapers and media outlets need to be more aggressive in finding out what is happening. If they don’t want to do it, maybe a public group can sue to see the recorded minutes. Someone, tell us why this isn’t happening, instead of just complaining about it.
Just my 2 cents,
Sam in Greensboro
Reply to this
The Democrats have made zero real cuts. But they have passed a $650 TAX INCREASE in the State Senate. Until the Democratic party is defeated in statewide elections we will not get common sense budget reform. We need many things to be funded but there are thousands of items that DO NOT need to be funded.
Reply to this