[Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

[Dickow]

The problem in my book concerning a 3% cut to state employees is that it is, in effect, a direct tax on a special segment of the state's population. The state would be making up its shortfalls at the expense of state employees. I think that the state shouldn't be thought of as an entity like a company, which might indeed have to trim their employees in some form or other. But in in the case of the state, the employees would be making a sacrifice that directly benefits other people in the state, not the owners of a somel corporation. A more equitable solution to the state's budgetary woes would be to impose a tax of some kind on everyone in the state. Then, everyone might have to kick back 1/2 percent or something, and all would be well. But alas, raising taxes is political NO NO! And... by the way, whatever happened to the state's Emergency Fund. did they spend that already?

Bob Dickow, troublemaker

-----Original message-----
From: Joe Campbell philosopher.joe at gmail.com
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:37:18 -0700
To: lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Subject: [Spam] Re: [Vision2020] State Faculty Union Responds to Financial Crisis

> I'm sorry to hear about your wife's situation, Roger. Staff is getting  
> the worst of it at WSU, too.
> 
> But I still think Nick has a point. Here is one way to put it. Would  
> you or anyone else on this list be willing to "cut" your pay by giving  
> 3% more to the state of ID to help prevent folks at UI from being  
> fired? If you and others say "yes," then I'm on board, as well!
> 
> Joe Campbell
> 
> On Apr 27, 2009, at 10:03 AM, lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote:
> 
> > Joe
> > I do no want you or any one else to lose their job. I think that pay  
> > cuts are preferable to layoffs.It is inevitably that some programs  
> > will be cut. there are no students or very few for a class it will  
> > be cut. My wife is staff in the PSES department at UI. She runs the  
> > Soils Pedology Lab. She will receive an award for 40 years of  
> > service today. She puts in 10 to 12 hours a day and does not get  
> > comp. time. She had cancer in 2003. She had surgery, chemo,  
> > radiation and the whole ball  of wax.  She is still suffering from  
> > the after affects. She takes a lot of Ibuprofen and diuretics to  
> > keep on going. She is not yet eligible for full Social Security.  
>><snip>....