Let's stop spending money that isn't there
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
Kristina Rasmussen, the executive vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute, has a recent column, entitled "Time for public-union temper tantrums," that's worthwhile reading on The Washington Times' website.
While primarily focusing on the state that gave us the Community Organizer in Chief, Rasmussen also references the recent union uprisings in Ohio, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
For those of us who enjoy a bit of political irony, the Illinois public workers' unions are upset with one of their own – namely liberal Democrat and Obama loyalist Gov. Pat Quinn.
Union workers were expecting a raise on July 1 – their third in the past seven months, Rasmussen said.
But a funny thing happened as the Land of Lincoln Gravy Train was about to leave Union Station: The Illinois General Assembly didn't give the governor the $75 million needed for the raises.
"Although the Illinois General Assembly passed a record budget this year," Rasmussen said, "legislators funded programs and government employee pensions instead of pay raises. Expectedly, the union brass reacted with fury, stating Mr. Quinn had "sunk lower" than Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich."
Of course, Govs. Walker and Kasich are among those evil Republicans who are doing their best to fix their respective states' budget problems instead of blaming all of life's current woes on Presidents Reagan and Bush (HW or W, take your pick).
Now, here's the precious irony. The Illinois public unions' temper tantrum "comes less than a year after the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) endorsed Mr. Quinn for re-election in his gubernatorial campaign and sent more than $500,000 into his election coffers."
I don't care who you are, that's just funny.
Rasmussen continued: "(The) union's strident demands are coming back to bite them. When nearly one in 10 Illinoisans are unemployed, the state's government unions are angry over not getting yet another raise. This doesn't sit well with families who are losing out on an extra week's worth of wages thanks to a record income tax hike passed in January."
Ya think? Ah, the troubles in River City, Illinois are no different from those along the Ohio and Scioto rivers.
• In Ohio, a Republican governor is taking heat from a well-greased political apparatus – which vehemently opposed his election – for trying to rein in spending and balance a budget with an $8 billion deficit when he arrived.
• In Illinois, a Democrat governor is taking heat from a well-greased political apparatus – which strongly supported his election.
Irony. Delicious irony. It's what's for dessert.
At least one Democrat lawmaker in Illinois has tried to downplay the potential political damage.
"There's been talk, rightly or wrongly, about (public employees) being paid too much, their pensions are too high, and issues like that," Democrat Rep. Lou Lang said in the Chicago Tribune this week. "From that point of view, it may be a plus for the governor, but I don't think that's the purpose of this action. His purpose is solely to save money."
I see. If a Democrat governor finds that it's not feasible to meet union demands, his purpose is to "save money." If a Republican governor finds that it's not feasible to meet union demands, his purpose is "union busting." Is that about right?
"Increasingly, the public is catching on to the game in which government employees, in effect, set their own pay by electing their employers," Rasmussen said.
And you certainly do not have to look to our neighbors – one state removed – to the west to find evidence of this.
While private-sector pay has been – and continues to be – on a death spiral in Highland County's seat, the city unions worked hard to ensure they would be minimally impacted. Good for them. The tactic's been known to work on an unsuspecting taxpayer or two.
However, there are signs that some taxpayers are waking up amid all the union clamor of late. (Note to the union brass: Tell your rank-and-filers to keep quiet. The more you stir this, the more it emanates out among the taxpayers.)
"Government worker pay in Illinois, as with many other states, has outpaced the private sector in recent times," Rasmussen wrote.
Gee, where have we heard that before? Just go to http://www.highlandcountypress.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=6982&Sec…
While southern Ohio counties like Highland have faced double-digit unemployment for years, some public bodies have been blissfully immune from the Great Recession. Not all, but some. (When you read the aforementioned list, you'll have a general idea.)
For the record, the county government administrators and department managers get high marks for fiscal constraint. So does Greenfield council. Hillsboro City Council does not.
Of course, I oughtn't criticize any other board or council without taking a look in the mirror. As far as the board on which I serve, Southern State Community College, I'd give my own recent participation a C, at best. The fact of the matter was summed during one of former board member Ben Houser's last meetings, when he said to me, "With your new business, if there's an emergency at work or an emergency at the college, my hunch is you'll deal with work first."
Ben was, as usual, correct. We are judged on our actions, however, not our intentions.
And all of us who serve on these unpaid public boards face similar dilemmas, at times. What we must do is keep in mind that our decisions often have a longterm effect on public budgets and policies. Such decisions can saddle future boards with untenable demands.
One of our chief financial officers has said at one of our meetings that it "doesn't take any guts to be cheap."
I'd advise him that it also doesn't take any guts to spend other people's money, either.
I trust we'll work through any potential issues that may arise. And, given the uncertainty of today's economy, we may have to. To this point, we've been fortunate.
From the White House to the statehouses to the counties, cities, colleges and schools, one thing for all of us to remember is this: We need to stop spending money that just isn't there.
Rory Ryan is the publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
While primarily focusing on the state that gave us the Community Organizer in Chief, Rasmussen also references the recent union uprisings in Ohio, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
For those of us who enjoy a bit of political irony, the Illinois public workers' unions are upset with one of their own – namely liberal Democrat and Obama loyalist Gov. Pat Quinn.
Union workers were expecting a raise on July 1 – their third in the past seven months, Rasmussen said.
But a funny thing happened as the Land of Lincoln Gravy Train was about to leave Union Station: The Illinois General Assembly didn't give the governor the $75 million needed for the raises.
"Although the Illinois General Assembly passed a record budget this year," Rasmussen said, "legislators funded programs and government employee pensions instead of pay raises. Expectedly, the union brass reacted with fury, stating Mr. Quinn had "sunk lower" than Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich."
Of course, Govs. Walker and Kasich are among those evil Republicans who are doing their best to fix their respective states' budget problems instead of blaming all of life's current woes on Presidents Reagan and Bush (HW or W, take your pick).
Now, here's the precious irony. The Illinois public unions' temper tantrum "comes less than a year after the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) endorsed Mr. Quinn for re-election in his gubernatorial campaign and sent more than $500,000 into his election coffers."
I don't care who you are, that's just funny.
Rasmussen continued: "(The) union's strident demands are coming back to bite them. When nearly one in 10 Illinoisans are unemployed, the state's government unions are angry over not getting yet another raise. This doesn't sit well with families who are losing out on an extra week's worth of wages thanks to a record income tax hike passed in January."
Ya think? Ah, the troubles in River City, Illinois are no different from those along the Ohio and Scioto rivers.
• In Ohio, a Republican governor is taking heat from a well-greased political apparatus – which vehemently opposed his election – for trying to rein in spending and balance a budget with an $8 billion deficit when he arrived.
• In Illinois, a Democrat governor is taking heat from a well-greased political apparatus – which strongly supported his election.
Irony. Delicious irony. It's what's for dessert.
At least one Democrat lawmaker in Illinois has tried to downplay the potential political damage.
"There's been talk, rightly or wrongly, about (public employees) being paid too much, their pensions are too high, and issues like that," Democrat Rep. Lou Lang said in the Chicago Tribune this week. "From that point of view, it may be a plus for the governor, but I don't think that's the purpose of this action. His purpose is solely to save money."
I see. If a Democrat governor finds that it's not feasible to meet union demands, his purpose is to "save money." If a Republican governor finds that it's not feasible to meet union demands, his purpose is "union busting." Is that about right?
"Increasingly, the public is catching on to the game in which government employees, in effect, set their own pay by electing their employers," Rasmussen said.
And you certainly do not have to look to our neighbors – one state removed – to the west to find evidence of this.
While private-sector pay has been – and continues to be – on a death spiral in Highland County's seat, the city unions worked hard to ensure they would be minimally impacted. Good for them. The tactic's been known to work on an unsuspecting taxpayer or two.
However, there are signs that some taxpayers are waking up amid all the union clamor of late. (Note to the union brass: Tell your rank-and-filers to keep quiet. The more you stir this, the more it emanates out among the taxpayers.)
"Government worker pay in Illinois, as with many other states, has outpaced the private sector in recent times," Rasmussen wrote.
Gee, where have we heard that before? Just go to http://www.highlandcountypress.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=6982&Sec…
While southern Ohio counties like Highland have faced double-digit unemployment for years, some public bodies have been blissfully immune from the Great Recession. Not all, but some. (When you read the aforementioned list, you'll have a general idea.)
For the record, the county government administrators and department managers get high marks for fiscal constraint. So does Greenfield council. Hillsboro City Council does not.
Of course, I oughtn't criticize any other board or council without taking a look in the mirror. As far as the board on which I serve, Southern State Community College, I'd give my own recent participation a C, at best. The fact of the matter was summed during one of former board member Ben Houser's last meetings, when he said to me, "With your new business, if there's an emergency at work or an emergency at the college, my hunch is you'll deal with work first."
Ben was, as usual, correct. We are judged on our actions, however, not our intentions.
And all of us who serve on these unpaid public boards face similar dilemmas, at times. What we must do is keep in mind that our decisions often have a longterm effect on public budgets and policies. Such decisions can saddle future boards with untenable demands.
One of our chief financial officers has said at one of our meetings that it "doesn't take any guts to be cheap."
I'd advise him that it also doesn't take any guts to spend other people's money, either.
I trust we'll work through any potential issues that may arise. And, given the uncertainty of today's economy, we may have to. To this point, we've been fortunate.
From the White House to the statehouses to the counties, cities, colleges and schools, one thing for all of us to remember is this: We need to stop spending money that just isn't there.
Rory Ryan is the publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]