My Other Dysfunctional Family

While I certainly agree (4.00 / 3)

with the writer, this whole issue of laying off state workers goes back to the stimulus package, which many agree should have been larger, because states all over the country are laying off employees and cutting services, making the recession worse.  The reason is that to get a stimulus package through Congress, the section of the bill that supported aid to states was eliminated, as I recall.  

We need BETTER DEMOCRATS!  We need more like Carol.  Then the compromising will be less difficult.  Unfortunately politics is the art of the possible, although deciding what IS the possible is a challenge in itself.  Different politicians have different outlooks on how hard to look before they decide something is impossible.  Better Democrats look harder and longer before they compromise.  

And in my opinion, our job is to push.  Our job is to elect better Democrats.  And I guess our job is to find them first.

Sorry about the scattered post, I am thinking "outloud."

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.

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by: bloomingpol @ Sun Nov 22, 2009 at 06:24:39 AM CST

images (4.00 / 1)

The image of the Governor helping the needy doesn't square with your view of your brother in the Democratic party. Your point is well taken, but the juxtaposition of the image of citizens getting help from the Governor, while the Government cuts back, still redounds to the taxes we all pay to support said government. The employees of the State of New Hampshire who are covered under the terms of the SEA contract work for all the citizens of the State, not just for John Lynch. As Hannah would say, he is only our Representative. We all share the collective burden of the cost of government, and we all share the plight of the less fortunate, especially those State workers who've been cut back. As the poster above notes, its happening all over, and there are external as well as internal causes. None of this makes it any easier to suffer the loss of your job, your security, your health care insurance etc.

In the 90's while running the Textile Mill we had to cut back on staff, due to globalization, NAFTA, China etc. We still asked every remaining employee to give to a fund we matched and shared with Town of Allenstown Welfare, to help the less fortunate. We adopted their children's list and donated Christmas gifts. Having just had to lay off at our own company, we felt even more strongly,'there but for the grace of God go I" etc. and wanted to show our thankfulness at still having a job, and not forgetting how hard it was for those who no longer did. I hope we would not have appeared as heinous in your eyes.  

Annie 2012!

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by: JonnyBBad @ Sun Nov 22, 2009 at 11:51:24 AM CST

No Jon (0.00 / 0)

my point is that John Lynch was shown helping those folks, which is a very good thing - don't get me wrong.  I'm just asking, where is the love when it comes to those state workers whose jobs were lost on his (Executive)order?  

Why do you say socialism like it's a bad thing?

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by: Beth Campbell @ Sun Nov 22, 2009 at 12:39:43 PM CST

[ Parent ]

there was a vote on a contract as well (4.00 / 1)

60% or thereabouts of the voting membership rejected what was initially going to save those jobs...without a guarantee of what would happen in the future. So the result was the lesser of two bad options which were both unacceptable to the Union. But what other State can you point to without cuts, furloughs and contract stress, or where the Governor is a hero right now to State workers?

California is going through a hole in the floor, and state workers contracts are seen as a prime area for cuts, Massachusetts is hemorrhaging, with furloughs and cutbacks in jobs...no question it's still bad out there. Commercial Real Estate continues to tank, the only ray of light is lower Unemployment numbers in NH and MA last month. I wonder if that's just people falling off the roles ?

Thanks for looking out for your members Beth. You have always cared about people first, beyond any personal or political motives, and you always will. Now if our legislators governed that way...

Annie 2012!

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by: JonnyBBad @ Sun Nov 22, 2009 at 13:24:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Those jobs were never safe (4.00 / 1)

The contract we voted on did not protect those 250 jobs.  The gov threatened 750 layoffs if we didn't approve the contract.  All agencies (including those that were federally funded) were told to make up their lists of bootees.  This was done as a scare tactic that didn't work.  Laying off federally funded employees would not save the state any money.. it would lose the state money (in unemployment costs) the payroll $$$ goes back to the feds.  

The vote was not furloughs versus layoffs.  It was a bad contract versus going back to the table and getting a better one.  SEA offered up millions of dollars in savings to the state bargaining team.  They rejected our offer.  Some of those on the team have been doing this for a lot longer than the Gov or many of his team members.  If he wants to drop trou and prove his is bigger, fine.  We just want to get a fair contract.  

Why do you say socialism like it's a bad thing?

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by: Beth Campbell @ Sun Nov 22, 2009 at 15:17:32 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Is it acceptable for the Governor to show sympathy for one group and not the other? (0.00 / 0)

I think not!

Unemployed is unemployed, regardless how it happened.

Selective rachmones (Yiddish for compassion) just doesn't work, IMHO.

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by: Putney Swope @ Sun Nov 22, 2009 at 22:08:18 PM CST

[ Parent ]

okay (4.00 / 1)

Was it acceptable last May to turn your back sides to the Governor when he was speaking at the State Convention.You represent many folks whose contract had not been fully negotiated yet. I thought that was infantile, funny but infantile. It did not garner any respect for the members, or their negotiators. It created a circus atmosphere. In denigrating the 'boss' my sister was an ass, but as the diarist says, we kept that in the family, never mentioned till now. I wondered how you would expect respect in return.
It is a two way street, no ?

Annie 2012!

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by: JonnyBBad @ Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 07:30:22 AM CST

[ Parent ]