[Vision2020] [Spam 3.50] A proposal to balance the budget

[Dickow]

I'm not quite in agreement that a 5% cut for state employees--at least in the case of university employees-- is as justified as you think or that state employees have not had cuts  the private sector has had to sustain-- if any. We have the figures on that, but I would summarize it by saying that faculty, staff, et al have been subjected to de facto cuts over a good many years. There are many years with 0 raises, and there have been zero raises for about the past 4 years, and when there are raises they are minging and do not for most faculty and staff make up for the annual cost of living increases in the general economy. So, if there had to be cuts in salary, in shouldn't be argued on the basis of fairness, or that faculty (and other state employess I would bet) are the fat cats who 'can take it'.

Bob Dickow, troublemaker

From: lfalen lfalen at turbonet.com
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 13:01:17 -0800

> Here are some proposals to balance Federal, State and University  Budgets .  
> First I would take care of the mentally ill, the disabled and our veterans.
> All government employees (state and Federal) should take a 5% pay cut. The private sector has taken cuts(except for Wall Street and a few others). This should start with all Federal legislators. State legislators are not paid that much in Idaho.
> The University could easily balance their budget by doing so. Instead they are making cuts at the low end. Cals is making the cuts on those staff that have science or research in their title. This is a highly arbitrary way to do it and is not based on merit or seniority.  The PI that they work for will have to come up with  half their salary from other sources such as grants. My wife has been cut to 87.5%. She is now paid for 7 hours but still puts in about 12 hours a day. In june she will probably be cut to half time. This means that her benefits will no longer be picked up by the University. One can not afford to work for that, She has worked for the UI for over 40 years. She has 3 more years to go before reaching SS retirement age.
> An across the board 5% cut would not hurt anyone that much and it would easier to save the desired dollars than cutting some staff by 80 or 50% The UI has opened up 4 offices in China to recruit students. Why? The UI is a land grant college. 
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