Pending State Layoffs

[fatlazyless]

Oh. come on folks, you should go a little easier on Samian than that. As someone running a small business that depends on keeping the restaurant customer happy, it is understandable how he feels some enmity toward the state employees who need just to show up for work each day. After reading about all the state job perks like sick days, paid vacation, unused sick days, state motor vehicles, pensions and pay rates....and then realizing just who is doing the heavy lifting to pay for everything....I think you know what I am getting at.

[Argie's Wife]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Oh. come on folks, you should go a little easier on Samian than that. As someone running a small business that depends on keeping the restaurant customer happy, it is understandable how he feels some enmity toward the state employees who need just to show up for work each day. After reading about all the state job perks like sick days, paid vacation, unused sick days, state motor vehicles, pensions and pay rates....and then realizing just who is doing the heavy lifting to pay for everything....I think you know what I am getting at.

Oh, so just because they work for the State then character assassination is ok? Good grief!

I'm a small business owner and I don't feel enmity towards state employees. I could "get a job" and farm the raising of my kids out to someone else quite easily. Like all other self-employed or small business owners, I don't get a vacation or a sick day. If it wasn't for my husband's job we could not afford health insurance.

Keep in mind, state workers pay taxes and some of the departments are self-funded or bring in revenue. When fees and taxes are increased for us, they pay them too. They're not exempt from property taxes, car registration fees, etc.

Get real - the problem isn't the state workers - it's the government who approves the budgets, doesn't trim the fat, increases the taxes and fees during one of the worst fiscal years we've ever seen in this state - even votes raises for themselves - that are the real problem. Not Joe State-Worker.

But like I said, I could "get a job" - it's my choice. I'm not going to be bitter because I'm self-employed or a small business owner or whatever. I just don't see the reason for calling him a "hack" when he voted for the contract that the majority of his union members voted down!

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by Argie's Wife

Get real - the problem isn't the state workers - it's the government who approves the budgets, doesn't trim the fat, increases the taxes and fees during one of the worst fiscal years we've ever seen in this state - even votes raises for themselves - that are the real problem. Not Joe State-Worker.

Like the saying goes. Men and women do not fight wars, Governments do.

As an aside, I see where SAMIAM is coming from, but AW is correct the state has allowed this get to this level. It is hard not feel the same way SAMIAM does when you go to DMV and it takes all day (even though 6 people are chating at the coffee maker out back), or you travel past workers on the side of the road and they have six people performing the task that one on my crew does. When the ax falls it is typically not the person that lifted it that gets hurt. But the state is not run like a business (even though it should be) so for some reason most people in government jobs do not feel the same pinch as the rest of us in the private sector. The difference is that we do not get TV time to tell our story of how terrible this downturn is for us.

I know this is the typical feel good, heart tugging story that WMUR likes to splurt all over us. The idea is I do not want to hear someone telling me how awful things are in his life, just because he is affected by a layoff that has received a lot of air time. I could give a list and I am sure everyone on this board could as well, of people that have lost jobs in the last year.

[Yosemite Sam]

Originally Posted by jmen24

Like the saying goes. Men and women do not fight wars, Governments do.

As an aside, I see where SAMIAM is coming from, but AW is correct the state has allowed this get to this level. It is hard not feel the same way SAMIAM does when you go to DMV and it takes all day (even though 6 people are chating at the coffee maker out back), or you travel past workers on the side of the road and they have six people performing the task that one on my crew does. When the ax falls it is typically not the person that lifted it that gets hurt. But the state is not run like a business (even though it should be) so for some reason most people in government jobs do not feel the same pinch as the rest of us in the private sector. The difference is that we do not get TV time to tell our story of how terrible this downturn is for us.

I know this is the typical feel good, heart tugging story that WMUR likes to splurt all over us. The idea is I do not want to hear someone telling me how awful things are in his life, just because he is affected by a layoff that has received a lot of air time. I could give a list and I am sure everyone on this board could as well, of people that have lost jobs in the last year.

As an aside, I see where SAMIAM is coming from

Just where is SAMIAN coming from anyway. Did he have a state government job at one time and knows first hand what they do?

It is hard not feel the same way SAMIAM does when you go to DMV and it takes all day

Just what DMV do you go to? Every time I go there, it doesn’t take long at all.

or you travel past workers on the side of the road and they have six people performing the task that one on my crew does.

Please, stop blowing your own horn all the time. How do you know what each worker is doing by just passing by?

But the state is not run like a business (even though it should be)

Not run like a business? Please tell me how they can improve so that they run their business just like you do.

so for some reason most people in government jobs do not feel the same pinch as the rest of us in the private sector. The difference is that we do not get TV time to tell our story of how terrible this downturn is for us small business'.

Have you not been watching TV and seen all of the private sector people talking about how this has hurt them. They are on almost everyday.

[caloway]

Having just been through 3 hrs at a Mass DMV to pay $170 to correct their problem, I can tell you that I'll take the near-sighted, rule-loving shrew in the Epping DMV any day

The same goes for every other department I've interacted with as well. A few months ago, an engineer at the DES spent an hour talking with me about a local dump AND followed up on the discussion as promised. Just try to find that conscientiousness anywhere else.

I don't think we should nickel-and-dime people in gov't. Pay them an honest wage with good benefits and fire them if they suck. 50k sounds pretty reasonable to me for somebody with 23 years on the job.

[jmen24]

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

Just where is SAMIAN coming from anyway. Did he have a state government job at one time and knows first hand what they do?

I do not know whether he worked in the state or not, my comment was in regard to running a private business compared to how the state runs. For all I know SAMIAM could be going in a different direction than I am thinking. I should have written "I think" I know where he is coming from!

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

Just what DMV do you go to? Every time I go there, it doesn’t take long at all.

Your right, The DMV in Concord is a joke, granted the one I use NOW in West Leb is not usually busy.

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

Please, stop blowing your own horn all the time. How do you know what each worker is doing by just passing by?

Why, am I making you, your company or previous work history look bad? A spade is spade and when someone wants you to stop talking about how you perform your job, it typically means you are out performing them. And honestly, other than my ad in the classified section, I have not told anyone that they should use my company, I have mostly offered advice to the folks here that gives them an idea of what to expect when dealing with a contractor or perform a repair on their own property. Call us up, the information is in the ad, do not tell who you are and have us do work for you, don't take my word for it, see for yourself.


I travel up and down 89 to various jobs in the area. Just last week I traveled past a state crew reworking a section of guardrail at 8:30am with four guys standing behind the truck and one guy unbolting a post and the other digging around a broken post. Drive back by (other direction now) at 1:00pm and only half (3-maybe 4) of the broken posts have been replaced. Drive back by the next morning and construction barrels are set in front of the area because they could not finish the replacement of 30 feet of guardrail in one day. That tells me that efficiency is not high on the list. See when you are not working with a fixed quote to perform your work it really does not matter how long it takes you, but when you do, as in the private sector efficiency matters! But again you are right, I do not know what each specific persons task was as I drove by.

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

Not run like a business? Please tell me how they can improve so that they run their business just like you do.

How about working from a pool of money that you are going to get, not what you would like to get. Not much in the of competition out there for the state, so why reduce overhead, why reduce burden, why reduce cost, because you will still be in business tomorrow if you are the state.

Originally Posted by Yosemite Sam

Have you not been watching TV and seen all of the private sector people talking about how this has hurt them. They are on almost everyday.

Well I do not watch TV everyday so you may be right on that one.

By the way, I am enjoying "the new sheriff in town" tone you provide in your posts.

[Ropetow]

The budget mess can be blamed on many, but Gov. Lynch bears the ultimate responsibility. He was the one that allowed his comrades in the Democratic majority to dramatically increase the state budget to fund social welfare programs, even last spring when everyone knew the economy was bad and the folks were hurting. With his overwhelming popularity since being elected, he could have told his fellow Dems "NO!" to their drunken-sailor (apologies to all real drunken sailors) taxing and spending ways. Knowing that we had a huge hole in the budget, he could have and should have implemented layoffs, furloughs, etc. long ago, just as the private sector would have done. I'm on our local School Board and I know that hard choices will have to be made this spring. Show some real leadership, Gov. Lynch! I'm so disgusted by what's happening in Concord that I am tempted to run for State Rep. At least I will bring one voice for fiscal responsibility to Concord (and a vote for allowing the Marine Patrol to do its job of safety enforcement and not worry about unenforceable speed limits!).

[Yosemite Sam]

Originally Posted by Ropetow

The budget mess can be blamed on many, but Gov. Lynch bears the ultimate responsibility. He was the one that allowed his comrades in the Democratic majority to dramatically increase the state budget to fund social welfare programs, even last spring when everyone knew the economy was bad and the folks were hurting. With his overwhelming popularity since being elected, he could have told his fellow Dems "NO!" to their drunken-sailor (apologies to all real drunken sailors) taxing and spending ways. Knowing that we had a huge hole in the budget, he could have and should have implemented layoffs, furloughs, etc. long ago, just as the private sector would have done. I'm on our local School Board and I know that hard choices will have to be made this spring. Show some real leadership, Gov. Lynch! I'm so disgusted by what's happening in Concord that I am tempted to run for State Rep. At least I will bring one voice for fiscal responsibility to Concord (and a vote for allowing the Marine Patrol to do its job of safety enforcement and not worry about unenforceable speed limits!).

Page right out of the old "Political Handbook"

[Yosemite Sam]

Originally Posted by jmen24

I do not know whether he worked in the state or not, my comment was in regard to running a private business compared to how the state runs. For all I know SAMIAM could be going in a different direction than I am thinking. I should have written "I think" I know where he is coming from!



Your right, The DMV in Concord is a joke, granted the one I use NOW in West Leb is not usually busy.


Why, am I making you, your company or previous work history look bad? A spade is spade and when someone wants you to stop talking about how you perform your job, it typically means you are out performing them. And honestly, other than my ad in the classified section, I have not told anyone that they should use my company, I have mostly offered advice to the folks here that gives them an idea of what to expect when dealing with a contractor or perform a repair on their own property. Call us up, the information is in the ad, do not tell who you are and have us do work for you, don't take my word for it, see for yourself.


I travel up and down 89 to various jobs in the area. Just last week I traveled past a state crew reworking a section of guardrail at 8:30am with four guys standing behind the truck and one guy unbolting a post and the other digging around a broken post. Drive back by (other direction now) at 1:00pm and only half (3-maybe 4) of the broken posts have been replaced. Drive back by the next morning and construction barrels are set in front of the area because they could not finish the replacement of 30 feet of guardrail in one day. That tells me that efficiency is not high on the list. See when you are not working with a fixed quote to perform your work it really does not matter how long it takes you, but when you do, as in the private sector efficiency matters! But again you are right, I do not know what each specific persons task was as I drove by.


How about working from a pool of money that you are going to get, not what you would like to get. Not much in the of competition out there for the state, so why reduce overhead, why reduce burden, why reduce cost, because you will still be in business tomorrow if you are the state.


Well I do not watch TV everyday so you may be right on that one.

By the way, I am enjoying "the new sheriff in town" tone you provide in your posts.

Thank you, I can't find fault with any of your responses.
Good job!

[Chickie]

I am acquainted with a number of state employees, but do not know of any who have become billionaires working for the State of N.H. Most are average Joe’s and Jane’s out trying to make a living and raise their families, just as their counterparts in the private sector are doing. I think there is a bit of vindictiveness rearing its head here. I certainly agree that the union leadership did not serve its members well by recommending that they reject the contract to allow furlough days – an ill-advised decision many will pay dearly for. However, to paint all State Employees with a broad brush is just unfair.