Rhode Island's idiotic leadership and other thoughts

Before I begin, just a comment on our last two polls. In last week's poll; should the government get involved in bailing out newspapers? The top response was; no, not ever, 85%; Maybe, 10%; yes, 5%. In this weeks poll; who will be the Republican nominee for president in 2012? Seems like Joe the Plumber is the head of his party, 44%; Tim Pawlenty, 24%; Mitt Romney, 8%; None of the above, 8%; Rush Limbaugh, 4%; Jeb Bush, 4%; Bobby Jindal, 4%; Charlie Crist, 4%; Sarah Palin, 0%; Michael Steele, 0%.

Rhode Island is coming down to the wire on this year's fiscal budget and the leadership could best be described as vacuous. Maybe that's a good thing though; because the fewer decisions Carcieri and company make, the better off we all are. Carcieri is hell bent on leading us down the Republican road to ruin. I just hope he takes down the Republican radio talk shows with him. Unfortunately, many Democrats are along for the ride.

Just yesterday, radio talk was aghast at the notion that a forced pay holiday for state workers demonstrates the outrageous costs of state workers. The one day holiday will save approximately $2.4 million. All day long the stupid talking heads were trying to make their point. Can any of you idiots on the radio and in the Governor's office learn how to use a simple calculator. The state budget is $7 billion dollars; divide that by 365 days in a year and you get to see how much money Rhode Island is spending each day. Over $19 million is spent each day by our government and only $2.4 million to pay the workers.

I get it Mr. Carcieri and you other business brains; you have a fiscal crisis and you are always pointing the finger at state employees. That's right, keep trying to balance the state budget by stealing from our state employees. Mr. Carcieri; stealing from the future of our state employees and deamonizing them has been your main platform throughout your terms as Governor. How stupid and callous your leadership has been. Hell, why don't you just lay off all of the state employees; if you did, you still could not balance the state's budget.

Now the short-sighted leadership team will continue to work hard to dismantle state employee and teacher pensions. Fine Mr. Carcieri; if you want to run the state more like a business, then where the hell is my "retension bonus"? Where is my bonus for the years that I brought in hundreds of thousands of additional Federal dollars? Why can't I be paid at a competitive salary commensurate with my peers in the private sector and the Federal sector for that matter? If you think you have all of the answers to these questions; you don't!

Governor Carcieri; a solid and secure pension system is the best way to reward folks that give themselves to their jobs, their community and their state. The public employees are paying their fair share and they always have; the government needs to keep its end of the bargain. Changing the pension system will significantly reduce the state's fiscal condition within a few years. Build for the future, don't destroy the future.

tomtoak