Friday, May 1, 2009

At least they were gonna call it what it is

Yesterday, the news broke that the Appropriations Committee of the Kansas House had passed out a budget proposal to cut all state employees' pay by 5%. The budget proposal did not include any revenue increases (aka tax increases, but we apparently don't call them that anymore) or even an agreement to halt further business tax cuts scheduled to go into effect in the next fiscal year. We state employees fumed. We fretted. We crunched numbers to see just how much we would be losing.

As I wrote about last week, we're already an underpaid lot compared to a lot of other states. And I have seen it reported that our benefits rank dead last among the 50 states. So it seems ridiculously unfair that Republicans in the House think this relatively small group of Kansans should disproportionately bear the burden of repairing some of the budget damage that their decade-long tax cut spree did.

Well, between that proposal passing out of committee yesterday and the full House considering the proposal this afternoon, I'd guess a few representatives got a few angry calls. Because today, the very guy who initially proposed the 5% cut agreed that the cut should be stricken from the budget proposal. So my plan to spend the weekend writing appropriately passionate e-mails persuading representatives to abandon the pay cut is moot.

1 comment:

BellsforStacy said...

My husbands company has laid off over 2000 employees and executives have taken 20% pay cuts. That was in January. As of May 1st, all employees - ALL employees, that's 35,000 plus people - were given a 5% pay cut. No debate. No questions asked to those making the cut. There is no one to write emails to. We understand why they are having to do this. It is not their fault.

My own company has laid off over half of its work force since September. We used to have over 100 employees. We now have 40.

It is what it is. We will live on less. We're not even that upset about it.

We are grateful to be employed.

 
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