• About Us
  • Activity
  • Advertising
  • Books
  • Business
  • Contact
  • Dashboard
  • EB5
  • Entertainment
  • feedback
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Government
  • Home
  • Interviews
  • Login
  • Members
  • Meme generator
  • National
  • Nevada
  • Nevada News and Views
  • Newsmax
  • NN&V Ads
  • Opinion
  • Pick a New Password
  • Politics
  • Polls
  • Privacy Policy
  • Profile
  • Recent comments by me
  • Recent comments on my posts
  • Register
  • Submit post
  • Subscribe
  • Subscription Confirmation
  • Survey
  • Survey
  • Terms of Service
  • Today’s Top 10
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Welcome!
  • Yop Poll Archive
Nevada News and Views
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • More
    • Nevada
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Travel
    • News
    • Sports
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Pinterest

  • RSS

Government

Government worker compensation is unsustainable

Government worker compensation is unsustainable
N&V Staff
January 14, 2010

(Frank Partlow) – Chairman, Bruce James’ Jan. 7 final report to Gov. Jim Gibbons observed that “the average state worker is paid considerably more than their private sector counterpart. This is unaffordable in the short run and unsustainable in the long run as many states are now experiencing.”

On May 8, 2008, when he signed the executive order forming this commission, a passionate and articulate Gibbons said, “We have hit a wall. We don’t have enough money to continue doing what we did yesterday the way we did it yesterday.” An unpopular governor and his kitchen cabinet crony, right? Read on.

“The only way to truly cut costs in a general fund of $1.5 billion when payroll (wages and benefits) is over $1.2 billion is to cut staff, hours, salaries and/or benefits,” states the Dec. 30 Clark County Committee on Community Priorities, adding, “The rise in employee compensation is unsustainable.” Democrat gubernatorial candidate and Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid said the work of this Committee “is going to be seriously considered.”

In November, Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval reportedly said that his strongest vision for Nevada was to implement the recommendations of the SAGE Commission.
On Jan. 3, the Editorial Board of this newspaper opined, “Government must change. The process must begin with a serious look at what government does, what it should do and what it can afford to do.” 2010 Nevada electioneering, right? Read on.

In September, Indiana Gov., and possible Republican Presidential candidate, Mitch Daniels wrote, “State government finances are a wreck.” State and local government officials “will soon have to choose between a major downsizing or permanent decline. The Obama administration’s ‘stimulus’ package in effect shared the use of Uncle Sam’s printing press for two years. Washington can practice denial for a while longer. But for the states the real world is about to arrive.”

On Dec. 12, the respected news magazine Economist wrote: “Public sector workers continue to gobble up money — in Philadelphia they account for 61 percent of spending.” (Apparently, in Clark County, it’s 80 percent.) The recession crisis, however, “illuminates a simple fact. The status quo is unaffordable.

Only 21 percent of private sector workers enjoy a defined benefit pension, which guarantees retirement income based on years of service and final salary. But 84 percent of state and local workers still receive DB plans. This might be grand if states and cities could afford it, but they cannot because, unlike the federal government, they have the pesky obligation to balance their budgets.”

No sane politician wants to raise taxes in a recession. Democrats, however, depend on public sector workers as electoral “foot solders.”

As James concludes in his report, the SAGE Commission hopes “our elected officials can now set aside their partisan differences to put the public’s interest first. If not now, when?” It is up to Nevada’s voters to elect such public officials, foot soldiers and lobbyists notwithstanding.

(Mr. Partlow was executive director of the SAGE Commission)

Prev postNext post

Related Items
Government
January 14, 2010
N&V Staff

Related Items

More in Government

Graves: Don’t Allow Subsidized, Foreign Sugarcane to Enter U.S. Markets

N&V StaffNovember 1, 2022
Read More

Some Cheerful News on Flat Rate Taxes

N&V StaffOctober 21, 2022
Read More

Conservatives Should Not Surrender on Sugar

N&V StaffOctober 7, 2022
Read More

Running On Empty

N&V StaffOctober 6, 2022
Read More

Help a Sheriff Fire a Corrupt Governor?

N&V StaffOctober 4, 2022
Read More

CCSD – MathLITE and Exacerbating the Teacher Shortage

N&V StaffSeptember 29, 2022
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Subscribe Free By Email

Looking for the best in breaking news and conservative views? Let Chuck do all the work for you! Subscribe to his FREE "Muth's Truths" e-newsletter.

* indicates required
Nevada News and Views
Nevada News & Views is an educational project of Citizen Outreach Foundation, a non-partisan IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization. It is not associated or affiliated with any political party or group. Nevada News & Views is accessible by the public at no cost. It funds its operations through tax-deductible contributions from donors and supporters and does not accept government money or grants.

TAGS

Featured Article Nevada Politics business Muth's Truths government Opinion Government Muth’s Truths Obama Ron Knecht News Donald Trump GOP Republicans

Copyright © 2022 Citizen Outreach | Maintained by VirtualAlly

Reid Denies His Bill Cuts Medicare, Contradicts CBO Report
Sandoval: My Short Term Budget Deficit Plan