Chris Dudley: Oregon needs to make three main structural changes in state government
We must fundamentally change how Oregon's government works. We will not only have to slow the growth of government, but we will also have to make sweeping changes specifically to the way Salem spends, the way we educate and how we compensate state employees.
To begin, I will be asking all government employees to pick up a percentage of their PERS contribution in order to decrease the total compensation costs. In addition, I will ask state employees to start paying a portion of their health care costs.
Finally, I will create a new standard for negotiations because we can no longer afford the one-sided negotiations of the past. I can assure Oregonians that taxpayers will finally have a voice in this discussion.
When the unions are unhappy then Oregon can succeed. Anyone who pays attention to politics here knows it's the public employees that drive everything. Every legislative session is a "budget crisis" regardless of the economic circumstances.
If Dudley will forcefully take on the unions then he is Oregon's best hope.
9 comments:
I believe Public Employees should pay income taxes on the benefits they receive, specifically: 38% medical packages etc. They are no different in my opinion then tips a waitress gets in a restaurant. She has to pay taxes on that money, so should the public employee.
Pinkie
We will not only have to slow the growth of government...
And this is part of the problem. Government needs to shrink, not grow, no matter how slowly.
BIG difference between Dudley and has-been Kitz?
Kitz, as all Democrats, is taking $$$ from the Mafia Unions, Dudley is not, so while Kitz speaks with forked tongue on the Unions, Dudley can actually do what he says.
Oregon - "All funds Budget" - Increase since 2007 = 46% !!!
I first worked in a PERS covered job in 1985 I retired in 1999. I paid in 6% of my salary. Could he simply be wrong or misstated what he meant to say?
I'm not sure what to say about the idea of taxing medical benefits. It smacks of simple jealousy. Should ALL benefits be taxed?? I'm not sure. My suggestion is if you are going to tax health care insurance then make it optional. I doubt I would want it if it were taxed. I never used it! I would occasionaly get sick enough to visit a doctor but generally my medical expenses never exceeded my deductible so I never saw any benefit.
Anon 3:00, you forget, Pres. Hussein and the D's have made it MANDATORY to have health insurance.
This will be fully implemented in 3 years, unless we let the R's have some say in Congress in November.
OR if the US Surpemes agree that no where in our Const. does it say Big Brother can force us to buy it, unless far lefty lesbo - Kagan - gets put in the court and with the far left in charge of CONgress, it/she will be in there soon.
"It smacks of simple jealousy."
No, 3 pm not in the least.
Just like the waitress you are receiving a benefit that has real monetary value. Yes you should be taxed on the value of that benefit as it is part of your union negotiated contract.
Pinkie
Pinkie: As I said, perhaps benefits should be taxed but the reason given compared wages (tipe) with benefits. And the intent was to tax "PERS" employee benefits. If politicians want to change the tax law and tax benefits then I say so be it. However as I said I think if they do then employees should be allowed to opt out of those "benefits". Or perhaps more to the point we should all be allowed to choose only the benefits we want. It strikes me as unfair and perhaps even unconstitutional to "make" me accept benefits I don't want and then tax me for them. As for tips I have a better answer: No tips! Work where you want to but don't expect tips.
Like Obama said, everyone is going to have to suffer.
Democrats have run this state for years and years and years....
Where are we?
Just saying.
Pinkie
I am confident that before this is over everyone will suffer. Our enormous debt guarantees that our economy will not recover and high unemployment and weak economy may be with us for over a decade. If you think it is bad now wait and see how bad it will get...
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