Lately, there’s been a lot of flak about cutting 4-H and the Extension offices by the University of Georgia as part of their budget cuts. Politicians on both sides of the isle are swearing oaths to defend 4-H programs with to their final breath. Editorials in papers all over the state are condemning the move and citing the benefits for such programs. The voters are screaming that they don’t want such programs to disappear, reflecting fondly on their youth in such programs.
And that’s all according to plan.
You see, when you don’t want to cut anything, but those in charge tell you to anyways, you don’t cut the real fat. You don’t cut down admin positions and other support personnel that no one sees. No, you cut something that people like and you cut it deep. Then you step aside and let the fun begin.
Sure enough, those swearing to defend 4-H are sincere but have fallen into the trap. Now, they are in a position to look and say “well, maybe we don’t have to cut so much” and then the University wins the budget wars. They win, taxpayers lose.
And don’t think it’s just 4-H on the chopping block. They’re also catching hell for a tuition increase that is unprecedented and for a proposed cut in instructors. Those are all on the bargining block as well. Sure, there will be some cuts, there’s no way around that, but now the politicians have put their own backs against the wall. The cuts will be minimal, and we’ll hear about how there’s no fat left to cut.
Of course, when those in the trenches tell you about inflated administrator’s salaries and waste at various levels, it makes you wonder if they have the same definition of “fat” that you and I have.
There is a lot of waste in government no doubt but to imply (as everyone else has) that administrative positions and “inflated” salaries and “support personnel that no one sees” are the problem with the budget shortfall is naive. Everyone who makes more than minimum wage or holds an administrative position is not waste in need of cutting.
I never said that everyone above minimum wage needed to be cut. Those aren’t the inflated positions I’m talking about by any means. And not all support personnel needs to go either, but I’m sure we can agree that there are positions out there that could be cut, and some salaries for upper level administrators that could use a trim if nothing else.
Wilson, if I didn’t know better I’d say you were a Government employee!
2 out of 3 administration positions need to be eliminated PERIOD. Minimum wage jobs need to be contracted out. Save some money on cleaning, and such. Go to a 4 day work week, where utilities are cut and transportation costs are eliminated. Take away ALL Government vehicles, Have a motor pool, no take homes, all miles documented for business ONLY, Right there I just saved the budget of the State of Georgia in one swoop! Except 1) I’m not in a position to make those changes 2) I don’t have to worry about being re-elected
Tim,
For the most part, the issue isn’t the number of government employees. I’ve worked in government-related jobs for pretty much the entire last decade, and I can tell you first hand even when times were good, there was still never enough people to handle the volume of stuff we had to do.
No, the issue isn’t the number of government employees (though there is certainly SOME fat there). The issue is the scope of government we currently have.
Reduce the scope of government – the number of things the government does – and you automatically reduce the overall number of government employees – many of whom will transfer directly from government employ to private employ and largely do the exact same thing they are presently doing for the government.
Don’t believe me?
Look at Iraq. Look at the composition of many of the private contractors there – a whole heck of a lot of military that got out at the end of their time, then went straight to work for a private contractor making a LOT more money and doing pretty much the exact same work.
Tom,
We do agree there is much that could be cut but the very popular targets of upper level administration and back office personnel wouldn’t get the job done as I’m sure you are aware. The public feeling better because some high paid government employee gets their pay cut or loses their job altogether doesn’t solve the problem. We have entire programs, agencies that could go. But it’s the entitlements and education (was that redundant?) that have to be re-invented to lower the cost of government in any meaningful way.
Tim,
What can I say; amazing simply amazing.
You’re right, we do have entire programs. And I never said NOT to cut those. But talk of cutting popular programs is still just gamesmanship designed to force politicians to back off the request for cuts.
Wilson – Until Jobs are cut, the Government will continue to keep digging a deeper hole. Anytime a business comes upon hard times they first cut labor. Why is it that our Government doesn’t seem to get it?
Maybe my thinking is flawed, but I see a whole lot of Government employees doing nothing during the day, and that is just in Albany, by the time you extrapolate those numbers it is astounding how fat our government is.