First there is a crisis, then there is no crisis, then there is
Gloom and doom down in Salem -- the governor's going to force every state agency to take a 4.6% budget cut. Teachers will get laid off. Prisoners will be set free. The sick will be left to die.
But look on the bright side: We've got hundreds of millions of state dollars to build a light rail line down to Milwaukie. The teachers, the prisoners, and the sick can all take a lovely ride to Bob's Red Mill, where they can beg for some gruel.
Actually, given the amount of crime that the trains attract, it's probably good to add a few if we're going to be locking fewer people up.
| Posted at 1:48 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (18)
"I can't hear you -- c'mon!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlXHBvNFeUQ
Posted by Mojo | June 23, 2010 2:04 PM
Today the Clackamas County Sheriff testified against light rail because of increased crime. Good to know the teachers and prisoners will have a lot of "company" on the ride to Milwaukie.
Posted by Derrel D. | June 23, 2010 2:24 PM
"...each state agency’s budget would be cut by 4.6 percent across the board, which represents a 9 percent cut for the last 12 months of the biennium."
The O reported 9% cut. Not sure I get how that works.
Anyway, time for govt on all levels to rip off the band-aid. Let's see how bad the wound is instead of pretending it's not there.
Posted by Snards | June 23, 2010 2:36 PM
Just keep saying to yourself: "This would all be much, much worse if we didn't tax ourselves into prosperity with M66 and M67."
Lather, rinse, repeat, wipe hands on pants.
Posted by Garage Wine | June 23, 2010 2:48 PM
And sleepy Ted was really ">
prescient
in 2007.
Posted by pdxjim | June 23, 2010 3:22 PM
Here is an out-of-the box Portland solution: Convert some of those fancy new MAX trains into rolling jail cells by adding bars to the windows. It isn't like they will be full of passengers anyway.
No need to pay me a consulting fee for the idea, Governor Klug.
Posted by Mike (the other one) | June 23, 2010 3:39 PM
The O reported a 9% budget cut which is for a biennium. Since this is just for the one year remaining in the biennium, the cut is slightly half as that, 4.6%.
What a crock of journalistic integrity O.
Posted by the other Steve | June 23, 2010 3:45 PM
Other Steve: I may be wrong, but I think it's the other way around. The state needs to cut 4.6% for the biennium, but since it is halfway over, that amounts to about 9% for the remainder.
I really wish our mainstream media cleared this up for for us hoi polloi ...
Posted by Garage Wine | June 23, 2010 4:11 PM
Maybe Ted Wheeler will just drop by Spirit Mountain and lay the 4.6% on red.
Posted by Mojo | June 23, 2010 4:20 PM
GW: Gotcha! Thanks for clearing it up for me.
Posted by the other Steve | June 23, 2010 4:21 PM
"Teachers will get laid off. Prisoners will be set free. The sick will be left to die."
PERS employer contributions will increase, STEP raises will remain in place, raises will continue to be given,BETC grants will continue.
Don't worry folks, things are just like normal.
Posted by Steve | June 23, 2010 6:34 PM
This simple mathematics, folks. The need to cut 4.6 percent of a biennial budget, enacted halfway into that period, equates to roughly a 9 percent cut at the delayed beginning point to the end of the biennium. What's complicated about that? So, to summarize: It's really a 9 percent cut for right now, and until the end of the current biennium. It would or will be a 4.6 percent cut if everything were to remain the same in the next biennium (which it won't, most likely).
Is math a lost science?
Posted by Paul | June 23, 2010 9:59 PM
But what is most surprising about Ted's budget cuts,(ha), is that his chief of staff said the 9% cut will result in 200 job losses per the O.
Wow, that is too much! That's out of almost 600,000 state government employees. This extraordinary cut is 3/1000 of one percent!!
One of my local business friends has cut 11 employees out of 52. I guess he should take a lesson from the state and raise revenue by raising his prices to keep his employees.
Posted by Lee | June 23, 2010 10:15 PM
Not just any teachers, as if they were a ubiquitous bunch. The younger more enthusiastic and cheaper ones will get tossed over first. But the payment that is carved off and redirected to PERF, measured relative to all wages regardless of pension "tier" at about 26 percent of current wage payout (this number might be stale), will surely remain untouched. An astute parent could dare to insist that this other payment is unlawful, though they would have to invest a year or two just to figure it out and then maybe longer to present the holy grail of an argument to our top court. I had speculated in 2003 that the replacement peer group of non-tier-one PERS teachers would have a voting majority within the OEA itself perhaps within ten years. We are almost there. All hope is not lost.
Posted by pdxnag | June 23, 2010 10:30 PM
Is math a lost science?
No, journalism is. It's never explained properly in the media.
PS: Get off your high horse.
Posted by Jack Bog | June 23, 2010 10:32 PM
First shut down a couple of those college, or whatever they are calling those institutions that babysit the children of the upper class for four years or at least get them to foot the bill for their room and board.
Posted by Bluecollar Libertarian | June 24, 2010 1:34 AM
Bluecollar - I have a bit of news for you... the kids of the upper class generally don't attend public universities (unless there is a familial tie). In general, they get to go to spendy, private schools with small claaes, lovely campuses, more prestige, and more engaged faculty. U of O or Reed or Stanford or Lewis and Clark or Harvard or Princeton or Amherst or Bowdoin or Williams.... be serious.... U of O is not getting the cream.
Posted by LucsAdvo | June 24, 2010 4:29 AM
Right. Just skimmed. *SWOOSH!*
Posted by Mojo | June 24, 2010 6:48 AM