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1) Self-interested but not unreasonable. [by Anonymous Citizen on June 8, 2007]Gee, you've been on the job for 36 years and you favor an enhanced pension benefit if you retire now (rather than sometime relatively soon anyway.)
How many private sector workers can expect the kind of pension and post-retirement health benefits that you will receive even under the un-enhanced pension? Not many, let me tell you.
The state has fewer workers? Why is it that technology has allowed the private sector to do so much more with less, but it's used as an excuse for the public sector to just spend more?
Also, those 14,000 mental hospital workers have been replaced by tens of thousands of community mental health care workers and contract employees, so state and federal taxpayers are still paying. I'm not complaining necessarily, just sayin' - there's been less downsizing than the gov and her friends pretend.
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In Michigan State Employee Association June 2007 News, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm new excuse for being against an early-out retirement ligislation is that employee one time benefit payouts at retirement will cost the state of Michigan to much money. Personally i'm tired of politician half truths. In recent estimates are correct 8,000 state employees could retire in the next two years. If an early-out retirement bill was passed its estimated 11,000 employees could retire. Past early-out retirement programs paid out benits over a 5 year period (60 monthly payments). So in reality Governor Granholm way of thinking will increase employee retirement payout costs during the next two years. The early-out legislation would spread benefit payout costs over a 5 year period. I've been a Michigan employee since July 1971 been layed off during bad times and been rehired. When you here the Union line the State has went from 68,000 employees down to less than 55,000 today they fail to tell you Michigan closed the Licquor Stores laying off 1,600 employees plus closed 24 Mental Hospitals/Centers laying off 14,000 employees plus closed a couple youth homes 1,000 employees this roughly totals 16,600 layoffs from 68,000 equals 51,400 or the state has an extra 3,600 new employees in the rest of the remaining state agencies. Ha! Ha! the 3,600 employees most likely are in Department of information Technology. There is no real employee shortages.
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into the black.
it's a lament we hear all to often from those who are about to be cut.
cutting WASTE in state government is the best first step that can be taken.
cutting the number of incarcerated individuals in the prison system is NOT.
it's unfortunate that the state thinks that it is.
it's amazing that our governor first cut two things, policemen and the amount of inmates in jail.
two of the things that are THE PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENT.
she will NOT cut the rest of the fluff and pork that ISN'T.
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