Tax hikes, and layoffs, needed to balance Ga. budget
When Gov. Sonny Perdue introduced his proposed 2011 budget in January, he balanced it in part by including a “bed tax” on hospitals, projected to raise $300 million in new revenue. The reaction of his fellow Republicans was dismissive.
Once again, some whispered, Perdue was showing his political roots as a former Democrat.
Real Republicans knew that tough as it might be, the state deficit would be closed exclusively by spending cuts. Pledging devotion to conservative principles, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, House Speaker David Ralston and top appropriators in both the House and Senate committed themselves to rejecting tax hikes.
However, after slashing the state’s current budget to keep pace with falling revenues, and after seeing the impact of slicing hundreds of millions of additional dollars from the 2011 budget, the tone has begun to change. Having seen the nightmare numbers themselves, legislative leaders are coming to accept, as the governor had earlier, that cutting our way to a balanced budget would do unacceptable violence to Georgia, particularly to those most vulnerable in very tough times.
That realization has been accelerated by increasingly bleak indicators about revenue. From the moment Perdue introduced his 2011 budget, it was understood that it might be built on a foundation of sand. Revenue projections that allowed the governor to claim that his budget was balanced seemed too optimistic, a conclusion that subsequent estimates have only confirmed.
In other words, the chasm between state revenues and state obligations is growing larger by the day, and it will not be a temporary problem. The Georgia economy is not expected to start adding jobs until next year, and even then recovery will come slowly. It will be many years before tax revenue recovers to previous levels.
In fact, the true dimensions of this long-term crisis have been disguised temporarily by more than a billion dollars in federal stimulus money; that is set to disappear come 2012, which will force still deeper cuts in essential programs.
Former Secretary of State Karen Handel, now running for the GOP nomination as governor, made a legitimate point Thursday when she noted that we face a structural deficit that from the spending side can’t be addressed by temporary furloughs. Permanent layoffs have to be part of the equation.
It’s also important to note where the state stood before this crisis began. Georgia was 49th in the country in state taxes paid per person; it was also 49th in the country in transportation spending per person. As a consequence, traffic congestion is now a major threat to economic growth. Our state’s mental-health system, established to care for the most helpless among us, is so under-budgeted that it is under a federal court mandate to improve.
As Col. Bill Hitchens of the Georgia State Patrol told legislators, the state also has just eight troopers per 100,000 residents, the lowest number of troopers in the country per capita. We’d have to triple the number of troopers in uniform just to reach the national average.
In addition, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, the percentage of personal income that goes to support state government has been declining for 20 years now.
In normal times, most Republicans and even many Democrats would call that a success. But at what point, if any, does that kind of trend line cease being beneficial? Is there a tipping point when revenues decline so much that the state is no longer able to perform the minimally acceptable functions of government?
GOP leaders in Georgia seem increasingly concerned that such a tipping point exists, and that this is it. But they are wary about how that news might be received by voters back home.
In a sense, the situation faced by legislators mirrors that faced by Perdue when he first proposed a tax increase to help balance the budget.
The governor and staff had studied the numbers; they had looked into the abyss and they understood the enormity of the problem. Only when legislators went through that same painful process did they come to understand Perdue’s position.
Now legislators have to try to communicate that message to their own constituents, many of whom have been led to believe that there is never a justification for raising taxes.
However, the people of Georgia also understand that these are extraordinary times. They are mature enough and smart enough to know that tax hikes are not being contemplated to balance the budget, but rather to take the edge off of deep, painful spending cuts that will do the real work of matching revenue to expenses.
It is a last-ditch option, but we’re standing at the last ditch.
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185 comments Add your comment
Normal
February 26th, 2010
12:29 pm
Time to pay the piper…
Peadawg
February 26th, 2010
12:36 pm
I’m all for a tax hike if it mean I keep my job here at UGA!!!
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:39 pm
Time to cut State “obligations”, State workers, State pensions then we can see about a tax increase.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:42 pm
Time to cut State Welfare programs, HOPE Scholarships, State Food Stamp programs then we can see about a tax increase.
Peadawg
February 26th, 2010
12:42 pm
Outhouse, you obviously don’t work for the state……
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:43 pm
Time to combine some schools, close some schools, layoff some of these overrated Para-Pro’s, cut out the free lunch programs, that are greatly abused, layoff some teachers then we can see about a tax increase.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:44 pm
Nope.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
Time to combine some DMV offices, close some DMV offices then we can see about a tax increase.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
The fact that there is no such thing as state food stamps and no tax money in HOPE scholarships surely won’t interfere with Outhouse’s solution in the least.
Dusty
February 26th, 2010
12:45 pm
Awww, I left my lone comment on the last subject. Now I have to leave. I won’t get to read Jay’s whacks on our Republican Georgia budget. Or Jenifer’s!! What a loss. Stay busy now…
Peadawg
February 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
HaHa, Jay! I was just paying attention to the “cut state workers” idea.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
First we need to cull-out all the State employee/programs deadwood, combine some depts, force State ee’s to do more work, take away State issued cellphones. Oh yes…there is tons of deadwood to be cut THEN we can see about a tax increase.
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
Isn’t this the mantra of the conned: we need to CUT TAXES to RAISE REVENUE?
wyldbyllhyltnyr
February 26th, 2010
12:48 pm
Lookey here, Jay, government should be small enough that we could drown it in a kitchen sink. Now is the time to cut – both programs and taxes to fuel economic recovery. There is never a justification for raising taxes – let me repeat, there is never a justification for raising taxes, only and excuse, being a liberal.
Jay while your going all chicken little over this little bump in the road that easily be cured by program cuts from superfluous government programs that should never have existed anyway, let me axes you one question. How’d that global warming science that you and ol’ ALGore were sure about work out. Now ain’t the time for panic, whic is all the liberals do.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:49 pm
Regardless J…there is plenty of WASTE to be cut prior to any tax increase.
professional skeptic
February 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
Whatsa matter? With all the tax cuts over the years, our state’s coffers should be overflowing right about now…
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
I’m thinking another lottery. The current idiot tax isn’t doing enough.
I want to win the lottery, so I will eventually need to play it.
RW-(the original)
February 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
Before we get to layoffs let’s get to firings for cause. There are plenty of tools already in place at most state agencies to monitor how an employee spends their day.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
The planet is still warming, and we are still the primary cause, Wyll Byll. The science is unchanged.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:51 pm
During these tough economic times govt should behave the same as the private sector and if they were to do so any tax increase would be unnecessary.
md
February 26th, 2010
12:52 pm
” the state also has just eight troopers per 1,000 residents, the lowest number of troopers in the country per capita.”
Funny how those troopers always seem to be behind me on the backroad 4-lanes to nowhere in the middle of the state. Never fails to be 1 to 1, so 999 of you are catching a break.
RW-(the original)
February 26th, 2010
12:52 pm
Outhouse,
The DMV works great these days. With all the extensions they keep putting on mail in renewals I’m probably going to die of old age with a picture of me in my thirties on the license.
Peadawg
February 26th, 2010
12:52 pm
“The planet is still warming”
Tell that to the people in New York right now…
wyldbyllhyltnyr
February 26th, 2010
12:53 pm
Jay, I understand that from your perspective, “The science is unchanged.” It was just the data supporting the science that was changed.
md
February 26th, 2010
12:53 pm
Make that 125 of you are catching a break, public school math – my bad.
RW-(the original)
February 26th, 2010
12:54 pm
The planet is still warming, and we are still the primary cause, Wyll Byll. The science is unchanged.
You forgot the sarc tag Jay B.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:54 pm
“The planet is still warming”
Only problem is the “scientific data” to validate such claim is all bogus.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
12:56 pm
“Never fails to be 1 to 1, so 999 of you are catching a break.”
Thanks md…means I can still cruise at 90mph with impunity.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
12:57 pm
No, the data are unchanged as well. None of the science or research undergirding it is in question, gentlemen, no matter what you choose to believe.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
12:57 pm
Jay
Nope. The earth stopped the warming trend in 1995 and started cooling around 2002.
There are 1600 UN sponsored temp recorders worldwide. they record daily, weekly, monthly and sessional averages. That information is used by climatologist, worldwide. The people who still claim the world is warming is selectively using about 900 recorders, all in the hottest parts of the planet.
it’s a scam, Jay. Just after the release of his movie Al Gore bout a multi-million dollar house 20 feet from San Francisco Bay, one of the places that the movie claims will flood within 10 years. That should tell you something.
wyldbyllhyltnyr
February 26th, 2010
12:57 pm
To step away, for a brief moment, from character, the issue is not whether global temperatures have risen or not. The issue, rather, my friends, is whether or not the Earth’s ability to self regulate temperature fluctuations has been damaged or eliminated by man-made emissions. To all but the most ideologically driven or least thoughtful, the jury is still out as to whether or not the earth can self regulate temperatures.
Feedom for All
February 26th, 2010
12:58 pm
Escape from the bondage of taxation is possible. Demand your feedom. It’s the Republican thing to do.
wyldbyllhyltnyr
February 26th, 2010
12:59 pm
Jay, that’s not what Dr. Jones says. Now is it?
Normal
February 26th, 2010
1:00 pm
NIF,
I play Mega Bucks twice a week, one buck each time. I call it paying my “Bad in Math Tax”…
Mother Earth
February 26th, 2010
1:01 pm
Everything is fine. Im not too hot or too cold…its juuusst right!
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:01 pm
Gee Swamper, you should rush to inform the scientists of your discovery. I’m sure they’d like to know that.
(should I inject the sarc note here, RW?)
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:02 pm
Yes, Swamper, it IS what Dr. Jones says.
As opposed to what the right WISHED he says and fabricates what he says.
Bask in the Warmth
February 26th, 2010
1:02 pm
Jay,
Unless you do it for the entertainment, please don’t try to convince a denier that the Exxon’s and Koch’s and Peabody’s of the world are wrong. They have spoken. Their will be done.
md
February 26th, 2010
1:02 pm
OG,
No problem, I’ll let you know when I go out so you won’t have to worry about it. On my last trip to booneyland, some jerk would tail me (on a 4-lane) – go around me, then slow down – repeatedly. When I had finally had enough, I zoomed by the jerk just in time to see ole gsp at the top of the hill.
He wasn’t sympathetic to the situation at all, sometimes i think its like smokey and the bandit and they pay some guy to antagonize to up their revenue.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:02 pm
Jay
THis is a special from KUSI-TV San Diego:
http://www.kusi.com/weather/colemanscorner/81583352.html
Take an hour and watch all four segments if you dare. It’s not just a weatherman talking. It is some of the smartest people in the science and they all say that it is bogus. If nothing else watch it to see what the rest of us believe. I think you will be shocked at how thin the global warming argument really is.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:04 pm
Jay
Watch the special and then tell me where the lies are. I know that you won’t, but the truth is out there if you have the courage to see it. .
Joey
February 26th, 2010
1:04 pm
“eight (state) 8 troopers per 1,000 residents”????
Thin Ice
February 26th, 2010
1:05 pm
Oops! Too late.
RW-(the original)
February 26th, 2010
1:05 pm
Probably.
I guess I better head to the forest for a very short work day. See y’all this evening.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:05 pm
Here’s a good explanation:
“In an interview with the BBC, Phil Jones, the embattled director of the British Climatic Research Unit, said that an observed warming trend of 0.12 degrees C per decade between 1995 to 2009 was “not significant at the 95% significance level.” On the other hand, he said, it was quite close to being statistically significant.
Predictably, the deniosphere jumped all over this. For example, here was Marc Morano’s headline at Climate Depot:
The Jig is Up! Climategate U-turn as Phil Jones admits: There has been no warming since 1995.
Either Marc knows nothing about statistics, or he is deliberately twisting the facts — or both. Phil Jones simply did not say that there has been no warming since 1995.
A 95 percent significance level simply means there is actually a 5 percent chance of a particular finding occurring purely by chance. So here’s what Jones is saying, in essence: There is a very slightly greater than 5 percent chance that the measured warming of 0.12 degrees C per decade between 1995 and 2009 was a statistical fluke — in other words, not real.
Or flop it around: There is a slightly less than 95 percent chance that the observed warming actually happened.
By convention, 95 percent significance often is considered “good enough to be believed.” But this is purely arbitrary, and it does not mean that something with a 94 percent significance level is categorically untrue. If a doctor told you that there was a 94 percent chance that you would die of cancer unless you underwent a particular treatment, what would do? Would you say, “Well doc, if there was a 95 percent chance, I’d accept the treatment, but since it’s just a 94 percent chance, I’ll decline”?
Somehow, I doubt it. I think you’d probably take the treatment.
The problem with the temperature record between 1995 and 2009 probably is not that there has been no warming during that period. The problem, as Jones told the BBC, is this: “Achieving statistical significance in scientific terms is much more likely for longer periods, and much less likely for shorter periods.”
Source: http://www.cejournal.net/?p=2856
The Y-Files
February 26th, 2010
1:06 pm
What can I say. X was taken. Anyway, the truth is out there.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:08 pm
I’m sure we could cut that to five and still be fine, Joey.
95-percentile
February 26th, 2010
1:09 pm
I’ll take those odds.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:10 pm
Normal
I do all the wrong things. I wait until the jackpot is about 300 million and then play 5 bucks. That is the very worst way to do it. the odds go crazy bad when the jackpot is that high.
I came up with a theory and designed a spread sheet to give me numbers that should work. I started with the three number deal to see how close I could get.
It sort of worked, but it only raised the odds just a little bit. It never extended the spreadsheet to play Powerball, but I have wanted to for a long time. It would just take a long time to do it and I am lazy.
Interpretive Driving Instructor
February 26th, 2010
1:11 pm
Who needs troopers. We got armed drivers out there who are more than willing to uphold their interpretation of the law.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:13 pm
JAy
Yes and all of those “statistics” were concluded from a smaller group of climate recorders from the hottest parts of the world. I know that you can’t tell from those kinds of articles, but there are several recorders being used in the Sahara and none being used from the northwest Territory (Canada)
Every scientist in the world will draw the wrong conclusions if they are given restricted data.
wyldbyllhyltnyr
February 26th, 2010
1:14 pm
Jay, here are a few things the good Professor said during a fairly recent BBC interview.
Jones says the rates of global warming from 1860-1880, 1910-1940 and 1975-1998 “are similar and not statistically significantly different from each other.” This is significant because the three periods of warming since the end of the Little Ice Age were very similar yet only the last warming period from 1975-1998 is attributed to man-made causes.
Jones says that from 1995 to the present there has been no statistically-significant global warming
When asked if the debate about climate change is over, he replied: “I don’t believe the vast majority of climate scientists think this. This is not my view. There is still much that needs to be undertaken to reduce uncertainties.”
Now in particular where he says, “This is not my view” with respect to whether or not the debate is over sort of indicates that he and a lot of other scientists are nearly as cock sure as you.
Normal
February 26th, 2010
1:15 pm
NIF, I used to pick my own numbers, but never got even one hit. I used to joke that I’ll pick seven numbers and you don’t use them and your odds will rise proportionally. I just do random quik picks now.
But remember, no matter how many you play the odds are still seven million to one against each ticket.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:16 pm
Like I said, Swamper, go tell the scientists. I’m sure they’d love to be straightened out on all this.
And while you’re there, you can explain to them your mathematical formula for beating the lottery …
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:17 pm
Normal
I think it is all about luck, play three games of solitaire on your PC, if you win any of them, go buy a lottery ticket. But I really thought my spreadsheet was going to work.
L. Ron Hubbub
February 26th, 2010
1:20 pm
Well, given this data, I must necessarily conclude that the earth is indeed flat. I’m just glad it does not rotate about the wrong axis. That would be rough.
Azazel
February 26th, 2010
1:20 pm
Well, there are lots of ways to bring in money to the state, but an easy one is to place user fees on services.
A good example is found at http://oasis.state.ga.us/
This site provides, free of charge, detailed Georgia health statistics, population data, demographic profiling and mapping. It gets over 500 hits a day from county health offices, health planners and advocates, medical and public health schools from around the US.
It was designed and built by state employees, who now are furloughed and get no pay raises. Moreover basic funding support for this widely used, and internationally acclaimed, system is being lost. this means that local health districts and health planners will not have rapid access to the information they need to protect the public’s health.
So, if the state would allow user fees/subscriptions, and allow those fees to directly support this and other systems, that would help a lot.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:22 pm
The debate and research and inquiry should of course continue, Byll. I agree with all that. I also appreciate Jones’ phraseology about “reducing uncertainties,” because in scientific research of this sort that is all we can do. We can reduce uncertainties but never eliminate them. Even if the planet warms exactly as the scientists now predict for the next 100 years, that would not be absolute scientific proof that the experts were right.
However, the professor and the vast, vast majority of his colleagues also believe we know enough to say that the planet is warming and mankind is causing it and we ought to do something about it. You just don’t want to hear it.
md
February 26th, 2010
1:23 pm
Byll, I think that is equivalent to uh uh.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:24 pm
Jay
**Like I said, Swamper, go tell the scientists. I’m sure they’d love to be straightened out on all this.**
It’s arguments like this that is the reason why most people now believe that global warming is a hoax. If you really believed the nonsense, you would be willing to see the other arguments instead of blindly doing as you are told and mocking anyone who disagrees.
This is the problem I have with most liberals. They are right and no matter what concrete proof you offer them, they will simply mock you and go on believing the lies.
Believe what you want, Jay. You voted for Hope and Change. That in itself . . . well, you know.
No More Progressives!
February 26th, 2010
1:25 pm
Interesting how Jays first solution is a tax hike.
“The problem with socialism is that you so soon run out of other peoples money.”
Margaret Thatcher
David Crosby
February 26th, 2010
1:25 pm
If all you liberals and bushwhackers cant start coming to terms with one another then I will be forced to put out a new CD.
Joey
February 26th, 2010
1:26 pm
I was only suggesting that you may have a typo.
Eight troopers per 1000 residents is one trooper for each 125 residents or 77,500 total state troopers. It is more likely 8/100,000 or one for each 12,500 residents about 780 total troopers.
My follow up questions to Col. Hitchens would be:
Including County and City Police Departments and County Sheriff Departments what is the ratio of Law Enforcement Officers to residents?
How does this L.E.O. ratio compare to other states?
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:26 pm
JAy
**The debate and research and inquiry should of course continue**
Really? Like the debate about the TV show that I linked? The only debate you will accept is the debate based on bad data presented by the people who stand to make billions off of the gullibility of liberals.
md
February 26th, 2010
1:27 pm
“Believe what you want, Jay.”
I believe he has indicated he will do just that – oh well.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:28 pm
Damn, Great point, joey.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:29 pm
It’s eight per 100,000. I’ll fix, thanks.
Pennsylvanian
February 26th, 2010
1:30 pm
Jay – How about a friendly wager? Dinner for 2 at Ray’s On The River says the AGW scam will fall on it’s @ss in 2010. You in?
Jess
February 26th, 2010
1:30 pm
Jay,
The data is the problem. Climategate, which some scientists call scientific fraud, The loss of the famous hockey stick data, the non existant weather stations in China for which data had been reported for years, the refusal to share data with other scientsts, the loss of data which was the basis of many calculations. This does indeed call into question the data. To those with blinders, such as you, I’m sure Phil Jones could declare it was all a fraud, and you would find a way to rationalize.
If you want to believe the world will burst into flames this century, fine. As you can see, there are many, many people who don’t buy it. It is politics, pure and simple.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:31 pm
and who shall be the judge of that, Pennsylvanian?
Vinny
February 26th, 2010
1:32 pm
“vast, vast majority of his colleagues” Exactly how many of his colleagues agree, Jay and what percentage of all climate scientists do they represent?
Heck, if they can predict exactly how much the temperature has risen, what caused it, and how much it will continue to increase into the future, surely you can provide those numbers.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:32 pm
And which scientists call “climategate” scientific fraud?
wyldbyllhyltnyr
February 26th, 2010
1:33 pm
Jay, now, who went in your cornflakes this morning. I thought you and I agreed along time ago that we could disagree without becoming disagreeable. My intention is not to badger you or be blind.
Now look, anyone would be very hard pressed to call me a moderate who is, if anything, only a few degrees right of center. To say that I “… just don’t want to hear it” is both a undeserved brisk tug on the old short and curlies and untrue. I don’t believe the current global for one simple reason. The global climate has warmed and cooled many times. From that we can take that the earth has an effective self regulating mechanism. I’ll believe global warming when someone explains (in a quantitative way that makes sense) why scientists believe that the self regulating mechanism has been irrevocably broken by man’s activities.
Fantastic Five
February 26th, 2010
1:33 pm
Flame On! No wait, Ice That!
Jay
February 26th, 2010
1:34 pm
I’ll put up a thread later on the global warming issue … i don’t want to get this one hijacked with me leading the hijacking.
Jimmy Carter
February 26th, 2010
1:35 pm
I think a tax hike has to be just one of the steps we take to get GA back on its feet. Sure, there has to be waste in this great state, but a tax hike may well be in order.
I don’t know about you, but I look at tax hikes and tax breaks about the same way as I did the “bonuses” an employer offered to us employees back in the late 80s and early 90s. When times were good, we got our bonuses. When times were hard, we didn’t get them. Same with raises.
We’ve lived with a low tax rate for quite some time, but those times are behind us and it’s now time to tighten the belt a notch or two. I certainly don’t want us becoming another California.
md
February 26th, 2010
1:35 pm
With Jay’s new numbers, now 12,499 of you are catching a break.
My silly posts are a Case study in relying on what one reads without verification.
RealityKing
February 26th, 2010
1:36 pm
Across the board cuts., balance the budget and then reduce it. Just like we do!!
wyldbyllhyltnyr
February 26th, 2010
1:38 pm
Ok, Jay, have it your way. Ol’ Wyld Byll says we need a big ol’ humongho tax cut to pull out of this mess.
Sure Thing
February 26th, 2010
1:39 pm
I’ll bet that two icebergs, one weighing 860 billion tons and the other weighing 700 billion tons, will break free from Antarctica and start drifting in the direction of New Zealand.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
February 26th, 2010
1:39 pm
Norma;
You didn’t ask, but here is my theory.
Common belief is that if you chose a random integer enough times, all ten digits would eventually be the same. But that never happens. If you pick a billion random choices between 0 and 9, some numbers will be millions of time more represented than others.
Now, put the mechanics of the machinery that choses the numbers in the mix and some numbers hit many more times than others. Why? Who knows, but maybe the ping pong ball with the number 8 on it was made in a different batch and the chemical composition of that ball makes it a fraction heavier or maybe even slicker and more likely to slide through that hole. Maybe the frictional coefficient of the different balls change over time.
So over a period of time, these changes might make a small difference in which ball comes up.
So based on this, I set up a spread sheet that would automatically go to the lottery site, get the past numbers and produce the most popular numbers for the past week, the past month, the past four months and the past year. I would play four numbers, one from each sampling. I did a sample using quick pics against my numbers and they did hit quite a bit more than the quick pics, but just not enough to make a difference. Instead of spending $100 to win 10, I would need to spend like 90 bucks to win 10. The idea worked. It just didn’t work well enough.
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
1:40 pm
Revenue projections that allowed the governor to claim that his budget was balanced seemed too optimistic, a conclusion that subsequent estimates have only confirmed.
A while back I read a column (I wish I could remember who wrote it) that brought up the point that the way we budget is part of the problem. Setting a budget on projected revenues is not the best way. The proposal in the article was to switch to spending money that was brought in the year before. In other words instead of spending money by guessing how much will be coming in, spend according to what you already have. The budget of 2011 would be limited to the amount of money brought in during 2010 for instance. I’d imagine it would take 10-20 years to phase the change in but I believe it’s an idea worth exploring. Long term problems require long term solutions, quick fixes every time there’s a crisis is part of the reason we’re where we are now.
RealityKing
February 26th, 2010
1:41 pm
The way to get head in life is to live below your means and invest wisely in the future.., not borrow and spend your kids inheritance. Clearly..
Azazel
February 26th, 2010
1:42 pm
well while we are off topic on climate change:
An iceberg the size of Luxembourg just fell off Antartica http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Mammoth_iceberg_could_alter_ocean_circulation_study_999.html
And the permafrost line has receded northward by 130-km in 50 years; and tropical water now circulates in Greenland fjords — from yesterday” Terradaily
Pennsylvanian
February 26th, 2010
1:43 pm
“and who shall be the judge of that, Pennsylvanian?”
A Blue Ribbon Panel, of course. It’s the Presidential way, you know. My choices; wyldbyllhyltnyr, md, swamper. Normal for tie breaker. Pick 3. You in?
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
1:43 pm
“the odds go crazy bad when the jackpot is that high. ”
Hate to break it to you, but the odds of winning the lottery never change. No matter how many people buy tickets, no matter how high the money goes…the odds of winning are always the same.
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
1:45 pm
Oh yeah, forgot one: no matter how many tickets you buy either. The odds are always the same.
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
1:46 pm
My silly posts are a Case study in relying on what one reads without verification.
You shall be banished to “The World of Jenifer”
@@
February 26th, 2010
1:46 pm
Mitch Daniels is saying the same thing….state’s need to tighten their belts. Daniels did it in Indiana without a tax increase. He, instead, rewarded Indianans with a huge tax cut.
When Daniels took office in 2004, Indiana, which had been enduring Democratic governors for 16 years, was running an $800 million deficit. Four years later, it had a $1.3 billion surplus. Daniels accomplished this without raising taxes (as 66 percent of states have done); in fact, he passed the largest tax cut in state history. Nor did he cut essential services like education, as 40 states have done. As Mark Hemingway reported in National Review, “In the last three years, the state has repaid $760 million to schools and local governments that had been appropriated to finance the state’s deficit spending.” Additionally, Indiana has hired 800 new child welfare caseworkers and 250 state troopers, all while cutting the rate of increase in state spending from 5.9 to 2.8 percent annually.
Of course, he had to attract EVIL BUSINESS to get the job done.
——————————————————-
Paul:
I wasn’t ignoring your response this morning. I’m usually on my way out the door after an early post. I dare say you left out a coupl’a familiar blog personas. Six of one, half a dozen of “another”. Over the years I’ve come to learn that integrity is sorely lacking in our leftist friends.
Normal
February 26th, 2010
1:48 pm
NIF, that’s pretty cool. I know that it seems like some numbers come up more than others, but I never thought to chart it. Yeah, good try.
Lottery Maintenance
February 26th, 2010
1:49 pm
Hello. I’m here for the weekly replacement of the lottery balls.
@@
February 26th, 2010
1:49 pm
One more thing. I worked in local government. Their budget projections remain high because each department has to justify the continuation of their existence. It’s self-preservation without concern for the taxpayers supporting their overblown egos.
md
February 26th, 2010
1:50 pm
“You shall be banished to “The World of Jenifer” ”
Please sir, anywhere but there.
Luck of the Drawl
February 26th, 2010
1:51 pm
I bought two tickets to the lottery with the same numbers on each in order to double my prize money in case I win.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
1:52 pm
Azazel
Just more of Mother Earths mysterious ways. Has nothing to do with emissions and all the other mumbo-jumbo.
The pengiuns will survive.
Visit Indiana
February 26th, 2010
1:54 pm
Come to Indiana where life is cheap. And those aren’t potholes. It’s part of our plan to make your drive more interesting, at no extra charge.
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
1:55 pm
Wow…you mean that money that our illustrious Senators voted against is helping our budget shortfall? Glad they are working for the people of GA.
“Proposed state budget cuts for fiscal year 2011 total
$1.8 billion, or 9.2 percent of the overall budget, when
compared to the pre-recessionary FY 2009 budget.
However, the budget includes federal Recovery Act funds;
without them, the proposed state budget cuts would total
$3.2 billion, or 16.1 percent of the overall budget.
Recovery Act funds are reducing budget cuts in FY 2011
in education agencies, public safety agencies, and the
Department of Community Health (Medicaid program).” ~ Ga Budget and Policy Institute
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
1:56 pm
“The proposal in the article was to switch to spending money that was brought in the year before”
Where is the money for the “switch year” going to come from?
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
1:58 pm
The odds are greater that’ll you’ll be struck by lightning, than that you’ll win the lottery. Also in your favor, there are things you can do to increase your odds of getting struck by lightning, such as standing in an open field during a thunderstorm, pointing a golf club at the sky. Not really anything you can do to increase your chances in the lottery. It’s a voluntary tax and I choose not to volunteer.
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
1:59 pm
“And those aren’t potholes. It’s part of our plan to make your drive more interesting, at no extra charge.”
See, that’s a theory I have. We could save a LOT of money by stopping all road and highway maintenance. Not maintaining the roads would help cut down on speeders, and we wouldn’t have to pay the highway workers, buy expensive equipement, use expensive highway contractors, stuff like that. Of course, it would add to the amount of time it takes to deliver goods, and for ambulances to get to you and back to the hospital…but, hey, got to take the bad with the good, doncha know?
Azazel
February 26th, 2010
2:00 pm
Outhouse GoKart: Prove it! Although I have some agreement with you — that the planet”s immune system is attempting to rid itself of a disease (humans)
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
2:00 pm
Where is the money for the “switch year” going to come from?
That’s why I said it’d take 10-20 years to phase in. You’d have to do it gradually, maybe 5% a year or something.
UPS Package Delivery
February 26th, 2010
2:01 pm
Warning! Fragile! Do NOT deliver via Indiana ground. Air drop only.
SOUTHERN ATL
February 26th, 2010
2:03 pm
It is so refreshing to know that this is the “LAST YEAR” for this administration!
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
2:04 pm
“Time to cut State Welfare programs, HOPE Scholarships, State Food Stamp programs then we can see about a tax increase.”
“The governor’s proposed Department of Human Services (DHS) budgets cut 64 eligibility workers for the rest of this fiscal year (FY 2010) and 138 eligibility workers for FY 2011,which begins July 1.
Eligibility workers process applications for Georgians in need of “safety net” supports — Food Stamps (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).” ~ Ga Budget and Policy Institute
Why cut jobs when there is money to fund them?
“New federal money for food stamp administrative costs is available to the states
through September 2011 to help states cope with rising caseloads. Preliminary estimates suggest that Georgia is eligible to receive $14.9 million.
Georgia should use the new funds to increase the number of eligibility caseworkers and to expand outreach efforts to newly eligible families. Policymakers should not use these funds to supplant state funds.” ~ Ga Budget and Policy Institute
md
February 26th, 2010
2:04 pm
Starting point – quit giving dept heads budgets. Tell them all to spend as little as possible and then audit the results.
One of the biggest problems is depts spending wildly at the end of a year to ensure their budgets don’t drop the next year. They compound the problem by thinking they must spend their entire allotment so as to not be penalized with a smaller budget.
The mindset needs to change.
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
2:06 pm
md,
“Starting point – quit giving dept heads budgets. Tell them all to spend as little as possible and then audit the results.”
How exactly does one run a business without a budget?
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
2:07 pm
md
February 26th, 2010
1:50 pm
Don’t worry md, I wouldn’t do that to ya! I need you as a “front door”.
md
February 26th, 2010
2:08 pm
Dog, cut down on speeders? Might want to encorage more speeding with the fines as high as they are – might help the budget.
md
February 26th, 2010
2:13 pm
“How exactly does one run a business without a budget?”
The higher ups will always know the magic number. I’ve used this method in the past with great success. Use bonuses as rewards for savings.
A “budget” number given to a dept is nothing more than an allotment to spend up to that point.
The logic is that if one doesn’t spend that much then they can operate on less and will get less according to what they spent. If one operates on savings vs spending, it makes a world of difference.
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
2:13 pm
Too bad that “Gone Fishing” campaign didn’t take off. Millions and millions of tourists could help bridge the shortfall with sales tax revenue.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
February 26th, 2010
2:14 pm
Aw, lighten up everybody. Sure we got a little budget deficit, but the fix is easy. Me and Joe Bill and my buddy Jim Earl come up with it up at Billy Bob’s last night.
Now put your thinking cap on. What takes up most of the GA budget? If you said schools, you’re a smart cookie.
So we just cut schools by 75%. Instead of sending kids to that waste of time for 180 days, we send them 45 days. And cut all the teacher salarys by 75% too.
Now you might think this solution is a little radical, but think about it. What do we get out of our schools? The dumbest kids in the nation, that’s what. So can they get much dumber if we cut the school days by 75%? I doubt it.
Besides, just look at the big shots down at the statehouse. They never got much schooling. The average 5th grader in this state would put them to shame. And just look at the people on this blog. Half of them claim to be well educated but they can’t write or think worth a hoot. Or even read what other people are saying.
So there’s your fix. And they can take the money they save and give us a big Tax Cut.
Have a good p.m. everybody. I hope somebody puts on some Flatt & Scruggs tonight.
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
2:14 pm
“Might want to encorage more speeding with the fines as high as they are – might help the budget”
Nah, we don’t get near enough in fines to cover the costs of road maintenance. Not even close.
md
February 26th, 2010
2:16 pm
That should read – The current logic…..
md
February 26th, 2010
2:17 pm
“Nah, we don’t get near enough in fines to cover the costs of road maintenance. Not even close.”
Supplement – not replace.
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
2:17 pm
md
February 26th, 2010
2:04 pm
Spot on md. Example: Have you ever noticed the DOT putting the little 18″ apron along the sides of the roads near the end of each year? What a waste! Why can’t they save that money for next year’s budget?
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
2:18 pm
Might want to encourage more speeding with the fines as high as they are – might help the budget.
While I don’t think people should drive up and down the highway at 100 mph, if we’re going to be honest, we have to admit the Super Speeder law has everything to do with revenue and little to do with safety. Speeding was already illegal.
And speaking of the State Patrol, I can tell you where you can find one every morning, sitting just over the crest of a hill, right past where the speed limit drops 10 mph, in an area where accidents are non-existent.
Is that the best use of resources?
md
February 26th, 2010
2:19 pm
Its all a game scooter – the ole use it or lose it mentality.
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:19 pm
This one went into moderation. I’ll try to rearrange…
For everyone’s viewing enjoyment. Kinda reminds me of the AJC political blogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0ue-XGl9c
Hilariously funny. Two countries armed with nukes go thru this absurd ritual everyday?
Peacocks or chickens?
A cute one to warm your hearts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDARfDJw80s
Gotta watch it all the way thru. How adorable is that little girl? ABSOLUTELY!
It’s so easy to lose sight of the more precious things in life.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
2:20 pm
LOL…How is Sonnys SuperSpeeder tax coffer doing? LOL.
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:22 pm
DANG! the moderator keeps grabbing my posts. I’ll try again…splitting them up.
For everyone’s viewing enjoyment. Kinda reminds me of the AJC political blogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0ue-XGl9c
Hilariously funny. Two countries armed with nukes go thru this daily ritual for their spectators’ pleasure?
Peacocks or chickens?
No More Progressives!
February 26th, 2010
2:23 pm
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
1:59 pm
“And those aren’t potholes. It’s part of our plan to make your drive more interesting, at no extra charge.”
See, that’s a theory I have. We could save a LOT of money by stopping all road and highway maintenance.
Good point. Labor is always your highest cost on a P & L, and I’d like to know why it takes 12 men to operate a low-tech “shovel.” (20 men if it’s a Federal shovel).
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:24 pm
jay, the moderator has snatched three of my posts. Is there anything you can do?
Harmless, they are.
md
February 26th, 2010
2:26 pm
“And speaking of the State Patrol, I can tell you where you can find one every morning, sitting just over the crest of a hill, right past where the speed limit drops 10 mph, in an area where accidents are non-existent.
Is that the best use of resources?”
Maybe so – I’m guessing they know where the best revenue generating spots are.
Also, check this out:
“While the super speeder fines will be consistent throughout Georgia, the starting point for the super speeder addition is tied to geography. And in Southeast Georgia, penalties for the same infraction can vary by nearly $1,000, depending on where the ticket is written.
For example, be sure you’re in the city limits of Darien if you get stopped for speeding in McIntosh County.
A ticket for driving 34 mph or faster over the speed limit in Darien will cost a motorist $575. But the same traffic infraction in McIntosh County outside the Darien city limits will cost a motorist $1,355″
Normal
February 26th, 2010
2:26 pm
Sonny also has a “too slow for the fast lane” law now. Think that will help the coffers too?
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
2:27 pm
Don’t get me started on that “Go Fish” crap jewcowboy! It makes my nostrels flair every time I think about it. Another waste!
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:27 pm
Education or potholes? Priorities people, priorities.
With a good education, drivers should derive enough intelligence to avoid potholes. Hell! all it really takes is a little common sense. I’ve never hit a pothole in my life. Prior planning is the key.
Paul
February 26th, 2010
2:28 pm
On topic:
Absolutes rarely work. Cut taxes, don’t touch spending; cut spending, don’t touch taxes…. figure out what you want, about what it’ll cost, decide how to pay for it, then go from there. And… keep in mind the purpose of the state employees is to serve the public, not to take the public’s money to do nice things for themselves.
The other topic, for the ‘Climate Change, no Problem” crowd. I’m not so much concerned with whether or not man is causing N% change in temperature or .9% change or .87% change. I AM concerned with the cost of the One True Way to Fix It some push (cap n trade, but that’s for another time).
What I would ask the crowd is, do any of you think pumping vast amounts of methane, carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrous oxide and such is good for the environment? Neutral? Bad for it? It’s gotta be one of the three.
If it’s good, then you’re not to be taken seriously. Neutral? ’bout the same. Bad? Then why not do something about it? If taking care of the environment because it seems to be the right thing to do aligns with the interests of the Climate Changers, so what?
It kind of strikes me like saying eating 2 pounds of hydrogenated fat a day contributes to heart disease. Not so, say some. But does it contribute to obesity? If so, shouldn’t intake be limited?
So again, is pumping vast quantities of this stuff good for the environment? If not, what do you think should be done?
GOP is Gone
February 26th, 2010
2:30 pm
In these fiscally challenging times has Gov Purdue contemplated repealing his archaic views on Sunday alcohol sales? Talk about a “Nanny State”, this ridicules Talibaptist law needs to change regardless of the States dire circumstances. Or has our esteemed Governor thought about taxing churches, many of whom have “preachers” who fly around in their own planes and drive high end luxury autos? Adding “bed taxes” to the already struggling Hospitals will result in more layoff than we have already seen in this industry, and trust me, I can only think of one hospital, Emory, who has not had to lay off workers since the market crash. My hospital is already operating in the Red for last year with admissions being way off of projected rates. People without jobs or insurance do not have elective surgeries, but they do show up in the ER when they are desperate and cannot afford to pay their bill. Again, my hospital has had to write off over 40 million dollars in un-collectable revenue for 1 quarter alone. But what can one expect from a good ole boy named “Sonny” who just does not care about re-election anymore?
And friends and neighbors, when they charge my hospital millions of dollars in taxes just how are we to afford it? Well give that guy a cookie because he got it right, raise costs to the public.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
2:31 pm
Paul;
Absolutes NEVER work!
:>)
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
2:31 pm
Sonny also has a “too slow for the fast lane” law now. Think that will help the coffers too?
I’ve heard about that too. If what I’ve heard is true, you’d get a ticket in the left lane for going below the speed limit. So if the speed limit is 65, you could get a ticket at 64 or you could get a ticket at 66 (theoretically). The margin of error on most speedometers is about 3 mph (if it’s gear driven), it’s probably less if it’s electronic, but that assumes your tires are properly inflated, so that the circumference of the tire is the proper measurement.
Lee
February 26th, 2010
2:33 pm
I came back from Montgomery the other day. Counted at least twenty police cars on I-85 running radar. Appears that some municipalities are taking care of this budget shortfall in their own way. Look for more of the same as the Bush/Obama depression worsens.
Jay
February 26th, 2010
2:34 pm
done @@
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
2:34 pm
I’ve never hit a pothole in my life.
Ever driven on a dirt road?
jconservative
February 26th, 2010
2:35 pm
wyldbyll:
“The global climate has warmed and cooled many times. From that we can take that the earth has an effective self regulating mechanism.”
The problem is that the earth’s “self regulating mechanism” has never had to deal with the additional “pollutants” generated by 6 Billion people before. We do not know if the self regulating system will work with that additional burden or not. It has never had to do so in the past.
We do know that the “self regulating mechanism” did not work during the Permian extinction. We know it did not work during the Cretaceous extinction. In both of these cases massive amounts of additional pollutants were introduced over a short period of time.
If Global Warming is a fact, and I tend to believe it is, there is zero evidence that anything the USA does by itself will alter anything. Anything short of a planet wide effort is just spitting into the wind. And to date that planet wide effort is not on the horizon.
The discussion has long left the scientific community. The discussion is now among those in the political community.
And as de Tocqueville pointed out, Americans do not have a long range view of anything, they are all about today.
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
2:37 pm
And as de Tocqueville pointed out, Americans do not have a long range view of anything, they are all about today.
If he said that then, imagine what he’d say if could see America today.
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:38 pm
Paul:
I put Cap & Tax in the same category with Obamacare. The marketing failed, and prettying up the packaging ain’ta gonna help at this late stage. The dominating theme should have focused on national security. Should’a been seriously pursued decades ago.
I’m not one to help government bureaucrats with their failures. They need to wise up.
GOP is Gone
February 26th, 2010
2:39 pm
That would be a few Americans are concerned about tomorrow jc.
Paul
February 26th, 2010
2:42 pm
Jay
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:42 pm
Hillbilly:
I’ve driven on a dirt road at about 10 mph, taking care to keep my tires out of the trenches. I love dirt roads that lead to lawd knows where. I much prefer to take them on horseback though. Even a “dumb” horse knows how to avoid potholes.
But let a bird rustle the bushes alongside, and that horse is sure to do a crow-hop. Best to be ready for those…they’ll send a rider airborne.
(ISH)
Sinkhole
February 26th, 2010
2:44 pm
Did you miss me.
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
2:46 pm
“Absolutes NEVER work!”
Well that is fallacious. In my own mind, I am absolutely brilliant. (And tan, and have perfect vision, and tall, and have six-pack abs, but I digress
Sinkhole
February 26th, 2010
2:46 pm
I eat cars for breakfast.
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:46 pm
Sinkhole:
I avoid the city whenever I can. Urbanites have this bad habit of cutting down all the trees and putting people in their place. It’s not good for the environment.
Jimmy Carter
February 26th, 2010
2:47 pm
Jay,
Don’t want to steal your Friday thunder, but I was listening to some “classics” this afternoon and came across this one. I remember popping in the 8-track and turning that mutha up and eatin’ up the highway in my GTO. While it’s not during their heyday, it’s still great to see Ronnie Hammond as the front man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjkSZBxYkQc
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:48 pm
Plant a person, save a tree.
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
2:48 pm
So again, is pumping vast quantities of this stuff good for the environment? If not, what do you think should be done?
Build seawalls! Never mind, we don’t need NYC anyway.
@@
February 26th, 2010
2:50 pm
Thanks, jay. The videos are now @ 2:19…both enjoyable.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
2:52 pm
Plant a Person? Rent “Motel H E L L” for some great laughs.
Normal
February 26th, 2010
2:54 pm
Scooter, “Never mind, we don’t need NYC anyway”
I was reading a book a while back where the bad guys were trying to set off a nuke in NYC. As I read the book, in the back of my mind I was saying “So what?”
PinkoNeoConLibertarian
February 26th, 2010
2:56 pm
Dang it JC! You’ve been using my “special” mirror again!
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
2:57 pm
@@
A dirt road ain’t no fun unless you’re running at least 50 mph, faster if it’s a straight road (we don’t have straight roads in my world). Of course, on a dirt road, you steer with the accelerator.
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
2:59 pm
“(we don’t have straight roads in my world)”
You need to go down to Macon, or below, for those. I’ve hit 95 in a VW van on those, down around there!
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
February 26th, 2010
2:59 pm
Yeah, that worked so well for Kalifornia, just sayin….
PinkoNeoConLibertarian
February 26th, 2010
3:00 pm
The idea of budgeting on the previous year’s receipts is nothing new. Well, maybe for government. They tend to budget on the previous year’s spending. Thus the problem. While planning your expenses based on the previous year’s income might not get you out of the hole in one fell swoop, it is definitely a start.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
February 26th, 2010
3:02 pm
Michigan- High taxes, high unemployment, high government benefits, but they got nice choos choos that run nowhere, just sayin…
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
Scooter,
“Never mind, we don’t need NYC anyway”
MOMA has a great exhibition right now on that very thing.
http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/category/rising-currents#description
Paul
February 26th, 2010
3:04 pm
jewcowboy
(and have six-pack abs, but I digress)
Was watching one of the Leno guys work the crowd that was awaiting the stars of New Moon (Twilight series). The wolf guy had a scene where he ripped his shirt off and it created quite a stir. So the interviewer goes over to this young 20-something couple. Guy looked like drank way too much beer at frat parties. Asked him if he felt uneasy waiting for the guy with the 6-pack abs with his girlfriend right there. The guy patted his big gut and said ‘why go for the six pack when you’ve got the whole keg right here?”
TnGelding
February 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
All they have to do is let the employees pick up all of their retirement and more of their health care costs. And if that isn’t enough, close the schools…..forever!
jefferson
February 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
So after the tax increase last year on property owners backs they want some more. Why not raise taxes on Kia, they ain’t going to move. What about quit putting people in jail for possesion of a dead plant. What about a church tax to go along with the sin tax. (equal opporutunity). Why not tax income over $250 k at higher rate? Good thing those guys are conservatives ha ha ha ha
@@
February 26th, 2010
3:05 pm
Hillbilly:
A dirt road ain’t no fun unless you’re running at least 50 mph, faster if it’s a straight road
Well I guess we all know what you did in your youth…..you ran moonshine on Thunder Road.
(IWH)
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
3:06 pm
Paul,
LMAO
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
3:06 pm
Normal
February 26th, 2010
2:54 pm
Send me to hell or………..
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
3:11 pm
jewcowboy,
Great link! Thanks
@@
February 26th, 2010
3:17 pm
Let’s hear it for Arne Duncan, one of the few in Obama’s cabinet, of whom I approve.
To the dismay of many local and national union members, all the teachers, the principal, and other staff of Central Falls High School were fired by the board of trustees this week. The move is part of a dramatic turnaround plan proposed by the superintendent and approved by the state education commissioner.
US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan applauded the Rhode Island decision this week. But Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers president, shot back with a statement that “firing all of the teachers is a failed approach and will not result in the kinds of changes necessary to improve instruction and learning.”
Arne Duncan, a union buster at the local level. Are you paying attention President Obama.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0225/All-teachers-fired-at-R.I.-school.-Will-that-happen-elsewhere
Doggone/GA
February 26th, 2010
3:18 pm
All the teachers fired? I wonder if they also fired whoever approved the hiring of those teachers?
Random Entreprenuear
February 26th, 2010
3:19 pm
Buffalo meat for a limited time – only $2.99/lb
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
3:20 pm
“Injured Buffalo shuts down I-20″
Rosie O’Donnell is in Alanta?
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
3:23 pm
Well I guess we all know what you did in your youth…..you ran moonshine on Thunder Road.
Actually, I’m a little too young for that but I know the ones who did. Kin to most of ‘em. I most likely would have done it if I was around at the time. I’ve always loved speed and you could make in one run what’d you’d make in a month working on the farm.
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
3:25 pm
“Injured Buffalo shuts down I-20″
No Rush Limbaugh is…and he’s jonesing for some vicodin and viagra.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
3:29 pm
“Let’s hear it for Arne Duncan, one of the few in Obama’s cabinet, of whom I approve.”
HIP HIP, HURRRAAHH!!
“What the matter with Arne, he’s alright”
@@
February 26th, 2010
3:35 pm
Doggone:
I’m off the same opinion of josef when it comes to teachers.
I think we (josef & I) would agree with this woman’s opinion.
Educators in Rhode Island are under the gun to improve the schools’ generally mediocre performance, and to do so fast. Mastering the arts of hiring would speed the plow. The sad fact is that, at this point, not all Rhode Island teachers share the belief that strong relationships or connecting with students is important. Many seem to feel it’s just not their business. We need to be careful not to hire any more such teachers.
http://www.projo.com/education/content/EDWATCH_07_02-07-10_S4HAOPH_v7.3b3d13c.html
My daughter had a friend throughout high school who went into the Teach for America program. It’s the passion more than the degree. Administrators need to find a way to identify passion.
The RI teachers can be hired back at the end of the school year. It’s their way of weeding out the deadwood…something the unions frown upon. It’s that “once you’re in you’re in” mentality.
Normal
February 26th, 2010
3:35 pm
jewcowboy
February 26th, 2010
3:25 pm
“Injured Buffalo shuts down I-20″
No Rush Limbaugh is…and he’s jonesing for some vicodin and viagra.
The poor thing has his “tail severed but is sitting up and looking around”. And yes, he does look like Rush…dazed!
Scooter
February 26th, 2010
3:36 pm
Rosie O’Donnell is in Alanta?
Too funny dude! lol
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
3:36 pm
@@
February 26th, 2010
3:17 pm
HA…look at those silly teachers holding their silly posters. Too bad. Everyone needs to be fired at least once in their career. Makes one a little more appreciative and this positive mollycoddling reinforcement doesnt work.
@@
February 26th, 2010
3:42 pm
Hillbilly:
I read some of the discussion surrounding motorcycles and dangerous escapades. Would it surprise you to know…..?
Yep! This @@ has piloted her own. Surprise, surprise, I am a speed freak on two wheels, four wheels and four legs when possible. In all honesty, I prefer four legs….harder to master. Two separate minds…mine WILL prevail!
@@
February 26th, 2010
3:45 pm
Go Kart:
Our kids don’t have time to waste on the hurt feelings of adults. Neither do we.
@@
February 26th, 2010
3:52 pm
Another thing, Doggone. In that link @ 3:35? Take note where it said those who lay blame on parents and testing (anywhere but on themselves)….those are the ones that oughta be scrutinized closely.
At some point people have to accept responsibility for their own failures instead of putting it where it doesn’t belong.
Bud Wiser
February 26th, 2010
3:53 pm
Jay
February 26th, 2010
12:50 pm
The planet is still warming, and we are still the primary cause, Wyll Byll. The science is unchanged.
What is unchanged is the left clinging to their debunked science. Are you a fan of Bill Nye, the Science Guy? You sound like him.
I trashed your ‘global warming’ a couple weeks back, and you hadn’t the guts to come back with anything then, so I suppose you will not now.
You libs just make your merry little statements, and expect them to be accepted as fact, just because you said them.
Those days are over Bookman, maybe you should revisit the elections in Mass, NJ, and Va; while you’re at it, explain why those 2 guys, 1 of which resigned in disgrace from the UN “science’ group, and also admitted their data was false.
Haven’t seen you chat that one up either….. you know, unlike most of the idiots from the left who blog here, perhaps you know when you’ve rolled craps.
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 26th, 2010
3:57 pm
@@
Never cared for motorcycles. I can’t count the number of people I’ve known that died on them. In over 90% of the cases, they weren’t at fault, but they’re just as dead either way. If it’s got 4 wheels, I’ll drive it as fast as it’ll run. I have calmed down a tad in my old age though, no more racing a buddy of mine 15 miles between 2 towns, every Saturday night about midnight. Oh the stories we could tell.
Disclaimer: Would you believe I’ve had one speeding ticket in my life? Yep, and that was over 30 years ago. The object is to not get caught. (IW&SH)
retired early
February 26th, 2010
3:59 pm
Jay,
You can add 49th in salaries of Ga workers to your stats; last time I checked… hell we’re probably last now.
All you have to do is offer early retirement with no penalty ( currently if you retire before 30 years or reach 60 there is a 7% reduction in your retirement benefits per year i.e. 25years= 5×7 or 35% reduction).
They- will- leave- like -rats -off-a-sinking- ship!!!!!!!
ANYONE THAT CAN LEAVE, WILL LEAVE!!!
This is why they can’t hire any state troopers. Low salaries and no raises.Hey, atleast we can go as fast as we want without those extra 300 troopers, right.
Budget balanced……and then some.
Outhouse GoKart
February 26th, 2010
4:07 pm
“prefer four legs….harder to master.”
Well now!
Have a good weekend all.
Mr. Snarky
February 26th, 2010
4:30 pm
And just to think, I have been wasting all this time following the speed limits. Sounds like the chances of getting nailed are between slim and none…and if the wingnuts get their way soon there will be even fewer state troopers, so my chances of getting caught will only be reduced. Thanks idiots!
Jess
February 26th, 2010
8:56 pm
Jay @ 1;32,
Dr. William Happer Head of the Happer Lab, Princeton University, says climategate represents the largest scientific fraud in recent history.
justthefacts
March 1st, 2010
3:16 pm
Raise the cigarette tax $2 a pack, not $1. why should we only move to the middle. The costs of tobacco are way more than even a $2 user fee.