By Phil Power - May 14, 2009
A few of the many provocative thoughts at the Michigan's Defining Moment Government Reform & Accountability Action Group in East Lansing…
"The urban cooperation act has a poison pill in it that protects any employee of any of the collaborating local governments from a reduction of pay and benefits. As a practical matter it kills any attempt at local collaboration." – Kurt Kimball, Grand Rapids City Manager Emeritus
"We need to think hard about what kind of services people need and want regardless of level of government – state, county, municipal, township. Ontario did a report called Who Does What on exactly that point." – Eric Scorsone, MSU Local Government Professor
"We need to rethink top to bottom at every level of government – state, county, city, township – the functions and the connections of government. And we need to do so in today’s environment – not that of 1837." – Scorsone
"The state is trying to balance its budget deficit on the backs of local government." – Kimball
"We've ignored the history of revenue sharing and distorted its purpose and function. I should know. I wrote the report." – Doug Roberts, former state treasurer and head of MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research
"In considering doing benchmarking, especially when it comes to getting clean, comparable data, let's not fall into the trap of making the perfect the enemy of the good." – Kevin Prokop, co-chair of the Legislative Committee on Government Efficiency.
"Let's quit using the word efficiency. Instead, let's use effectiveness.” – Chuck Fellows, Green Oak Township trustee.
"Here's the only way I know to solve the enormous — $46 billion unfunded pension and health care liability – issue pension bonds at a tax exempt rate and put the receipts into interest-bearing securities. That’s arbitrage. And it’s legal." — Roberts
"I’d be worried if my pension plan was underfunded by $46 billion and the only remedy was arbitrage." – Cynthia Williams, Executive Director of the Michigan Education Special Services Association
"Sure, people deserve a good retirement when they work for years and years in the public sector. But the question is, can we afford to do that?" — Kimball
"If we're going to address structural budget deficits, we simply have to address the cost of of health care. Period. Full stop." – Prokop
"The key point is to understand we are looking at the next Michigan. We need to make fundamental decisions about what we do and how we do it. It cannot be business as usual. – Doug Drake, Director of Health, Human Services, and Philanthropy, Public Policy Associates
"I want it all. I want it now. And I don’t want to pay for it." – an anonymous characterization of the citizenry.
4 Comments
Regarding the characterization of the citizenry: as long as politicians (always in the campaign mode) promise it all, now, and without paying for it, why would the citizenry expect anything else? We've become a nation dependent on politicians to meet our every need and that's the way they like it! Where has our self sufficient, independence gone?
Regarding the characterization of the citizenry: all of us must realize Michigan's unidimensional automotive growth period of the previous century and associated tax revenue base ended 10 years ago. The urgency of this situation is not understood by our government or public sector leadership. Sadly, our citizenry does have an option, following the trend of our college educated children, and that is to find a State where we can get more for less.
Actually, Mr. Saad, Michigan's college grads aren't going where they get more for less. They are going where they can get more for more. They are willing to pay more in taxes, in apartment rents, in other costs of living. But they want more. They are moving to Chicago, San Fran, LA, NY, Washington DC — not cheap places to live — instead of Little Rock (Ark), Birmingham (Ala) or Memphis (Tenn). If we try to emulate those states low-cost states, we'll get their economies…which have low incomes, high proverty rates, and, interestingly enough right now, high rates of unemployment.
On Mr. Bodtke's comments – No kidding, if they passed election/campaign reform, the first thing i'd ask for is requirements for Truth in disclosure for every plan and idea they dream up and advertise, and Fact based ads, especially against each other.
On Mr. Waymire's comments -
I agree, but i'd say theres more to that than the single characterization.
The southern states you mentioned have pretty nice standards of living for those with good jobs/Education.
Most of the young people we are discussing are the College grads leaving the state, and those kids have a great chance to get great jobs in southern states. Another item to consider is that those smaller population, lower overall income/cost of living states have been receiving Far more in Federal $$ than they have paid in for decades.
Michigan on the other hand has routinely gotten less back for each $1 we pay in. The fact is, that our state is one of the big states, with big population, big resources, big colleges and big problems. We are going down in a big way.
———————
Our state problems are 4 fold – Federal dollars disadvantage with other states, State costs vs. revenue imbalance, Local govt problems duplicating the state level, and commercial business is down.
People dont like change.
Michigan's people need change.
We know that the Automotive sector's recent problems of declining marketshare, and current problems of Global sales drops are not any single person's fault. We know that their tax revenue and employee income taxes and spending has caused much of our state's financial woes and domino effect.
We know it will never really be the same, or if it ever gets back, it'll be awhile and we cant depend on that.
So the only other 2 options are to bring new business into the state, which Granholm to her credit has worked very hard to do… sorry repubs, its a fact.
And to cut state costs.
Our state is in disarray, but the low hanging fruit is the Salary and benefits of the State's upper echelon of employees.
They need to take the hit and tighten their personal bloated belts.
This is a crisis, and the only ones not feeling this personally, are executives and top paid state employees, that includes Legislature.
Dont give me that same old B__lSh__ line about: "we cant get the best and the brightest" if we dont pay them an arm and a leg.
How dare you tell me that those people in the private sector of this state making $30,40,50,or 60k per year are not as "bright" as any government employees.
Certainly not vs. Elected persons who werent even Hired, they were voted in by who has the best marketing.
Now to be sure, im really just referring to people who are not solving our state's problems and are being paid close to 6 figures or more.
But state work in a crisis of financial disarray should not be a gravy train for a select few who are burrowed in and not solving the state's problems. Drop their pay and benefits, change the state constitution.
Look at it this way…. You have a pro football team and you keep bringing in Heisman winners for big time contracts hoping they turn the team around, but they often have no hunger and just do their jobs for ridiculous pay, then you finally realize you get far better performance out of the lower paid, lower fame lower paid, no body that pours his heart out to play and lands in the pro bowl 5 yrs straight.
Post a Comment