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Dear Editor,
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the proponents of this topic affecting our public employees.
I am alarmed at the claims of the proponents who portray that the pay and benefits of our government workers are the cause of the state's financial situation. Do people buy that?
The most recent ad by those folks sites a study (that they paid for) which claims that public employees are overpaid by 43% over the rest of us. Really? Would doctors and lawyers in the private sector trade their salaries with their counterparts in the government?
I can show that the compensation which I can now command as a private safety consultant, is 3 to 5 times the hourly rate that I received while with the state. Additionally, I can write off travel, entertainment, and attendance at seminars any where in the country as a business expense on my taxes. Public employees can't do that. Public sector workers are prohibited from taking anything of value from those with whom they do business. So, no rounds of golf, free lunches, or OSU football tickets.
Those for Issue 2 also try to compare public versus private pay. But can you make an apples to apples comparison? Would the coach's salary say, from a major state university in a capitol city, skew the statistics when pitted against a similar position at Urbana U? That would help to add to the 43% myth, wouldn't it?
As for other staff positions, what private sector company tests our water quality, enforces the public safety laws, protects our game animals, takes care of our parks, keeps offending employers somewhat in check for labor laws, promotes agriculture while attempting to keep our lakes pollution free, supposedly oversees banks and insurance abuse of the public, inspects our food, oversees the practice of physicians, dentists, cosmetologists, as well as reviewing building plans, and adjudicating civil rights violations? While this is not a complete list from the perspective of all state activities, don't we want the best serving us? Would we want to see if we can make it less desirable to serve in the Ohio National guard? So, how can their be an accurate comparison?
How about having the cheapest local safety forces and teachers we can find? If you want to attract good people to those professions, you should expect to pay a fair wage. Lowering the standards will bring in those to the public work force who will be more prone to be influenced by graft and pay offs due to a more meager income.
What will make a young student in college seek a career or experience in the public sector with the way the workers are currently being demeaned as "idiots" by this administration.
Should Issue 2 pass, I will predict that those who can will leave public service taking their knowledge, training and experience with them. We will all lose.
Please vote NO on Issue 2.
Respectfully,
Joseph Hammond
Minster, Ohio
THANK YOU, Mr. Hammond. A voice of reason...
ReplyDeleteCan anyone opposed to issue 2 tell the rest of us exactly how Ohio tax layers plan to come up with the nearly 1 trillion dollars that is needed to continue paying for public employees benefits and pensions? Should we continue to punish those private citizens who have taken a personal risk by raising taxes so that underperforming public sector can maintain their undeserved early retirements and cushy benefits?
ReplyDelete5:10 PM - I hope the next time you need fire, police or rescue you don't bother calling any of those "underperforming public sector employees" with their undeserved early retirements and cushy benefits. Heck, they will probably only BARELY save your life or the lives of your family.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are right, we wouldn't want to ask "private citizens who have taken a personal risk" to help the rest of us pay our fair share for the public safety people who never take a personal risk, huh.
You get what you pay for. I hope you never need those who you do not support. That's a lot of crow to eat.
I will say that when the economy was booming and the private sector was humming like a well oiled machine no one was jealous of teachers. We were ridiculed for accepting low pay and benefits. Now we are fat cats. I do not believe the underperforming crack is justified? It is always easy to blame someone else and not yourself. The Republicans realize that when times are bad; blame teachers and the angry populous will follow the hate. They will not see what really happened. Your cushy job is in Mexico and/or India. Re-tool, Re-train, and move forward.
ReplyDeleteAnnonymous, here's the deal. The governor and his sheep have scared all of you into believing that public employees have created all of the problem. It just isn't true. I'll see if I can explain some of the issues.
ReplyDelete1. Most people are paying their 10% of the pension contribution. In Darke County there is one that I know of who isn't and he is management, not union.
2. Greenville employees already pay more than 20% of their hospitalization. When I started with the city in 1967, the employee paid the whole thing. It has gone back and forth for 41 years.
3. The part about testing for advancement is an attack on school teachers, most of the rest are already tested for competency where it is warranted.
If you want the information and answers to some of their other dumb statements,go to my blog: http://www.blogger.com/template-editor.g?blogID=618494308069290142
You can also find a lot of good information here http://www.plunderbund.com
5:10 PM I think that you are listening too much to talk radio. Think, where did you get a trillion dollars. Who gets an early retirement?
ReplyDeleteTo all of you talk radio afficianados: catch this video of Bill "the great american" Cunningham and his view of Issue 2.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw45wXzwLEw
Don't take someone elses word for it...
ReplyDeleteCheck teachers salaries Yourself. Here is the websaite, and it's easy to follow.
http://tos.ohio.gov/teacher_salary
To 5:10 p.m., as well as all the financial illiterate out there:
ReplyDeleteIt is called a series of "layoffs." The state's budget has been set to SB5 levels. When SB5 is gone, the state either passes new measures similar to SB5 or makes layoffs.
So, to those of you who don't have compassion for your fellow man and don't support jobs in Ohio, sure, vote against it. Continue to spew your proven-false scare tactics. It doesn't take a 4th grader to figure out what is true and what is false (although mine has been asking me why they are allowed to run such blatantly false ads opposing SB5 on TV and wants to have me explain why it is okay for those people on TV to lie but not her and wants to know what trouble they'll get into since she gets in trouble for lying).
Vote yes on Issue 2.
I work for a private consulting firm and work with states and municipalities across the nation on budgeting issues. I was on the phone yesterday with someone from CT and she asked what the deal was in Ohio and what they are even arguing about. I tried to explain it and she went on to tell the tale of her state and how similar things happened just this year (with a Democrat for Gov, mind you) and how he just said "Fine, 5,000 public employees are getting laid off next week if the unions don't agree to this." It was agreed to and the state's financial situation has been much improved ever since. Nobody lost a job, there haven't been issues with lack of police or fire, etc. etc. etc. and all the other lies (yes, they're lies, everyone knows it) told by the anti-SB5 folks.
ReplyDeleteI would like to remind everyone who is complaining about how terrible SB5 "will be" if not voted down - SB5 is already in effect! If those things haven't happened already, it is transparently clear that you are just blowing smoke on the primary issues here.
So please - if only so Ohio doesn't continue to be the laughing stock of the nation for trying to overturn this budget-saving, job-saving, STATE-SAVING measure, VOTE YES ON ISSUE 2!
It is so good to see a bit of common sense dealing with Issue 2. Thanks joe. You are 100% correct on all points. I too took my brain elsewhere after retirement. Nice to be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteSB5 is about union busting and the privatization of public services. I wonder who will own or control these private corporations?
ReplyDeleteThe local rescue is having a terrible time trying to attract decent applicants, 2 full time led for the private sector in the past year, two more could be leaving in the very near future, we don't make anywhere close to what some of the unskilled factory workers make off of the street with no special skills or training.
ReplyDeleteAnd they don't work holidays, weekends have mandatory forced overtime.
I think the total State money the squad receives is around 5% of the budget.
I hate to think of what happens if issue 2 fails, it could touch off a mass exodus of workers that would take all their experience with them.
Someone explain to me why I have to accept unions in the private sector but the state can simply vote them out. Of course it's about politics. And a smokescreen for the real budget problems that the politicians don't want to face. Yep, let's create villains(public employees)and blame our overspending and short-sighted political actions on them. After all, what a perfect time to turn people against people. After all, if I can't have it, they shouldn't either! (sarcasm)
ReplyDeleteI was originally voting NO on issue 2 but I have changed my mind. Issue 2 is NOT what the media is portraying it to be. It is being portrayed as if you vote NO Bill 5 is going to be repealed and that is NOT TRUE. What is actually happening is the CHANGES to Bill 5 are going to be struck down and most of those changes are closing loopholes for special interest groups to make a lot of money at State expense. So voting YES or NO is NOT going to either keep or get rid of Bill 5, it is going to close the existing loopholes or keep the loopholes open. Read the however many umpteen pages the Beacon Journal published and look at the strike out lines or the inserted underlined information to know what you are voting for or against. This many pages should NEVER be allowed to be made into a law.
ReplyDeleteFor the record I am a public employee, a school teacher, and I am also a tax payer. Everyone keeps talking about how us tax payer's are funding all of the public employee's salaries and benefits. So I guess we are funding our own salaries. I also pay 20% of my healthcare, 10% of my salary goes towards my retirement and I pay 50% of my medicare. I am also working on a 9 month contract and thus not paid 3 months of the year. I must also continue to educate myself every 5 years in order to hold a valid teaching license. I am also evaluated by an administrator who recommends me to a school board that approves my contract. I also have one of the most thankless professions known to men. Everyone is quick to point fingers and blame us for the downfall of society. Look closely, because when you point a finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.
ReplyDelete