Posted on Sunday, 22nd February 2009 by Bruce
As the rest of the country bends over and collectively grabs its ankles in the midst of these troubled economic times, how do the economies of our hubs of bureaucracy compare to our country’s other population centers? From BusinessWeek.com:
“As the nation’s most populous metro area feels Wall Street’s pain, the fourth-largest—Washington—is barely sensing the recession. In fact, Moody’s Economy.com estimates that metro Washington’s economy will actually grow 2.5% from mid-2008 through mid-2010. New York’s economy is expected to shrink 4.2%.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Washington benefited from a national crisis. Back in 1930 the District of Columbia was a quiet Southern town, scoffed at by New York sophisticates. But as the federal government ramped up to fight first the Great Depression and then World War II, its population grew 65% in two decades, vs. just 14% for New York City.”
While we’re on the topic of “barely sensing the recession,” our own beloved center of state government, Madison, seems to be fairing equally well.
The Wisconsin State Journal concedes that, of the roughly 69,000 state workers employed in Wisconsin, “about 40% of them work in Dane County.”
The Madison metro area’s unemployment rate of 4.2% (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent quarterly report) versus the national average (Jan ’09) of 7.6% reported at the Department of Labor’s website, would seem to help work the math.
Governor Doyle is notorious for threatening “massive cuts in state jobs,” most recently in January, while seeking handouts in the form of federal stimulus dollars. Yet, BadgerBlogger sees no evidence whatsoever of any substantive state job “cuts” taking place. To the contrary; in a state which employs, by the most conservative WSJ estimates, over 69,000 people, a series of e-mails to state government officials following Doyle’s budget address last week produced a consensus that, worst case scenario, under Doyle’s biennial budget 2009-2011, the greatest number of state employees who might actually be “laid off” from their state jobs would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 200.
Is this possible, that in spite of the state’s budget woes, and Doyle’s incessant dire warnings of forthcoming “pain,” hardly a State of Wisconsin employee will be laid off as a result of his budget “solution?” In fact, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, state budget director Dave Schmiedicke is quoted suggesting that many state employees whose jobs may be “eliminated” by this comparatively minuscule number of state job “cuts” will, according to Schmiedicke, “be able to land in currently vacant [state] positions.”
So, to summarize, in a state that employs over 69,000, it’s possible that significantly less than 200 of them will be “personally affected” by the state’s budget woes. Does that seem odd to anyone?
About the greatest sacrifice which I can find concrete evidence that state employees are being told to prepare for is a “higher level of participation in their retirement benefit and health insurance costs.” While bubble-wrapped state employees might find these new challenges daunting, it sure beats getting met by a supervisor with a box full of your crap and walked to the door, doesn’t it?
Now, since I know you’re wondering, how are State of Wisconsin employees handling these trying times? I’m glad you asked. From a Wisconsin State Journal report, this weekend:
“Revenue agent Wayne Mertens foresees fewer salaried state workers and more private contractors.“Tears, harm and fear to sum it up,” Mertens said of state workers’ reaction to Doyle’s budget. “And no faith in the governor or his party that usually promotes workers.”
Andrew Reschovsky, an economics professor at UW-Madison, said if state workers don’t get pay raises while paying more in health insurance premiums and retirement costs, they’ll either have to save less or spend less, which would affect Madison’s economy.
“Cutting back on spending has a multiplier effect,” he said.
My guess is that those of you outside of the Madison area aren’t going to shed many tears for them. And, at the same time, state employees will undoubtedly continue laughing their asses off at the rest of you, as they run to the bank, rushing to cash the nearly accountability-free paychecks you’ve underwritten.
At a time when countless private sector employees spend sleepless nights wondering whether their jobs will be waiting tomorrow morning, and many business owners are worried about making next week’s payroll, why are public sector employees seemingly immune from having to share in this burden?
When a private business faces declining revenues, and its sales volumes are down, it is forced to decrease expenses, most often by choosing the unpleasantness of decreasing its workforce. Yet, when our government is losing revenue, what happens to its workforce? Precious little. An unfilled state job here, a reassigned state job there; hardly the makings of sleepless nights.
If government is truly “of the people, by the people, for the people,” why doesn’t the Leviathan’s condition more accurately reflect that of “the people” who fund its folly?
Posted in Home | Comments (19) |
19 Responses to “That which is so willing to “share our wealth” seems so unwilling to “share our pain.””
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February 23rd, 2009 at 9:24 am
C’mon all you lefty, “us government workers work as hard as you private sector guys work” people. Where is your response???
Please explain to me why Government workers unemployment rates nationally are at 2.2% while private sector unemployment is approaching 8%.
The left believes in government.
The left believes government is the answer to all our problems.
The left believes government is wonderful.
So…if that is the case, why do they need AFSCME and WEAC????
If government is so honorable and wonderful why do public service employees and WEAC need unions to protect them and protect their interests from the very entity that they put all their faith and hope in????
Doesn’t that strike you as completely convoluted logic???
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:51 am
Puh-leeze. No state workers will be actually be laid off. Currently vacant positions will just remain so. Indeed, given the porkulous bill and Jim Dorkle’s state budget, bureaucracies will have to be added to (that’s the Demo plan).
G’vment grows when times are good. G’vment grows when times are bad.
It’s what makes G’vment a dangerous entity.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:43 am
Find out what over 40,000 dedicated employees have already discovered - interesting jobs, excellent benefits, and many advancement opportunities that allow you to touch the lives of Wisconsin’s citizens
If only I had the right degree…
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
So what’s Scumbag Doyle to do now that he’s laid out his new taxes plan on an ailing economy?
Doyle plans Spain trip
By Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel
Feb. 23, 2009 12:10 p.m. | Washington — Gov. Jim Doyle said today that he is leaving for Spain on Tuesday on a state trip geared toward high-speed rail.
Doyle said he will visit companies that manufacture the kind of passenger rail cars that could be used for an upgraded Milwaukee to Chicago rail system. Doyle also said he hopes to interest Spanish manufacturers of rail cars in building cars in Wisconsin to serve a potentially growing market in the U.S. for high-speed rail.
The governor said his secretaries of commerce and administration will accompany him on the trip. Doyle, interviewed today after he and other governors met with President Barack Obama at the White House, said he will return to Wisconsin this weekend.
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
State government employment is the bastion of political clout in WIS, most notably Dane County. After visiting a large agency as a contractor for 8 months, it is by far the slowest most unproductive engine of processes ever assembled. This is because the bargaining units themselves dictate what is done and what will not be done. Open positions will not be filled means slow down and let them see how hard I work for 38.75 hours.
If one could generate a list of who is related to who by marriage or otherwise, you would see that WIS, is not filled with the best and brightest amongst its employees, which is why they always need more.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I posted this open question to those big fans of big government and got crickets so I thought I’d try again….
While it is true that government employees pay income and payroll taxes, they do not pay nearly enough to be self-supporting. Since most of the same folks that think that having one of the largest employers be the government are those that think that capitalism is the root of all evil - my question for you is, when there are not enough businesses or people employed in the private sector to pay for the government, what do you do then?
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
That will never happen JJ. Hope and Change will make all of our problems go away, government employees are immune from recession.
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Which degree is that Heather? I know people with several degrees that can’t buy an interview in today’s market.
February 24th, 2009 at 12:19 am
I’m not sure what sort of degree you need to be a Weed Scientist. There seem to be a lot of Psychologist positions open, too.
Yeah, I’m starting to realize I may never work again. Well, until our new fascist overlords haul me off to a gulag.
February 24th, 2009 at 7:22 am
my question for you is, when there are not enough businesses or people employed in the private sector to pay for the government, what do you do then?
Very keen notice, this has been the trend in WIS for at least the past decade, it is an accurate state of affairs. We can keep asking for federal moneys in the hope they never come due. Or, we do what many others have successfully done, move.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Doyle better get on board with Obama and make some cuts. If the average company is cutting their workforces by 20%, then he better get on board and do the same in his vast administration. We do not need administrators-administrating administrators-administrating administrators - holding meetings about administrating, raising money to get paid, and then outsourcing the work anyways.
You did not get the money to the children that you forced from your neighbors hands. Now you took their jobs and foreclosed on their homes. And all you can think of is raising taxes yet again for the children and releasing criminals back to molest them. Doyle, please retire, you are not helping anyone.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:04 am
LaFay Doyle is too ignorant and ideological to understand what he is doing. He’s like a liberal shop-a-holic who has numerous credit cards.
1)Steal the “TOBACCO MONEY” problem solved temporarily.
2)Steal the transportation money. Ditto.
3)Steal the patients compensation fund, Ditto.
4)Raise every fee possible from hunting to driving.
5)Beg the Federal government for a new credit card.
6}Raise taxes and slip gay benefits into the bill.
Most liberals are too stupid to see what’s going on. Our resident liberals know what’s going on but are too stupid to see the consequences.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Doyles notice to business owners - GET OUT OF WI, we do not want you or need you, we have stimulus money coming. Government is more important than anything. GET OUT you bad business owners and productive workers - we don’t need you or want you. If you stay, we will tax you till you leave.
February 24th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I get to Madison almost every weekend and I’m always amazed at all the new construction (see all the big cranes), all the cars at the shopping malls, all the packed parking lots at restaurants,etc. etc. Yes folks the govt. is good, the govt. is great, the govt. is thriving and we are all so lucky to live here. I work for a commercial painting contractor in the Green Bay area and he gets bi-weekly bid lists from Miron Construction. These provide a good a snap shot of where the money is going. Job after job to bid for universities, cities, municipal jobs, state jobs, health care etc. Hardly any private sector jobs to bid. It’s easy to spend money when you don’t have to “earn” it, you don’t have to risk your own money.
February 24th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Heather - a degree in plant science or a related field. I’m taking that from a listing for an intern position, one for someone pursuing such a degree. I’m not sure what a weed scientist does - pull ‘em, spray ‘em, plant ‘em, or smoke ‘em? Bilingual does not seem to be a requirement!
February 25th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
I would like to hear from JUST ONE public sector employee that can site me ONE EXAMPLE of a public sector employee that has been terminated from employment by the State of Wisconsin due to the economic slowdown.
Please provide me with ONE EXAMPLE.
I anxiously await your response…
Brian
February 25th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Brian, apparently you haven’t gotten the e-mails.
Government is the only solution. That is why President Obama is putting the non-stimulus money into bigger and more government. It’s the only way he can save us.
I hope you like pumpernickel, because we’ll all be eating it thrice daily soon,
March 10th, 2009 at 5:17 am
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