Posted on 02/11/2010 8:17:15 PM PST by Tribune7
The most important budget in decades is about to be negotiated in Harrisburg, where Gov. Rendell introduced his final spending plan this week. Not only is the state facing a structural deficit that has been masked by gimmicks such as the "stimulus." It's also about to be hit by a pension tsunami that will increase the multibillion-dollar deficit by multibillions.
(snip) The word we never hear from Harrisburg is one that those in the private sector often hear: downsizing. Our elected officials have a spending problem, and it's time for them to work up the courage to break the habit.
Of the 5.6 million people working in Pennsylvania, 753,000 are government workers (local, state, and federal). A funny thing happened during the recession: More than 10 percent of the private workforce found itself unemployed, while virtually none of the government workers did.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Wally is the former chairman of Delaware County Council.
ping
ping
If the state government workforce were reduced by 5 percent, the budget would be reduced by at least $500 million a year. And remember: The rest of us are still living with 10 percent unemployment and paying our taxes.
And I know this is federal, not Pennsylvania state spending, but the John Murtha airport in Pennsylvania needs an “earmark” budget cut.
Downsizing is something that every government agency needs to do, even the public schools. The problem is they seldom start from the top where the fat is.
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