Maryland state worker layoffs coming
After 18 months of budget cutting, Gov. Martin O'Malley has finally gotten to the point of laying off a large number of state employees, maybe as many as 1,000, Gadi Dechter and Laura Smitherman reported this morning. The news is not so surprising, in that the state has already eliminated hundreds of vacant positions and cut hundreds of millions in spending and still faces a budget gap of nearly $2 billion in the spending plan for the next fiscal year. But the blow still probably comes hard to state workers, many of whom looked on O'Malley's mandatory government furloughs as painful but better than layoffs.
Now you've got furloughs AND layoffs. And that still won't come close to solving Maryland's budget problems. Unless the Obama administration comes through with some significant aid to the states, it looks like tough times are ahead for the people who rely on government services -- and that may lead to some tough elections ahead for Maryland's politicians.
Comments
Eliminate the Lt. Governor's staff.
Let him piggyback on OweMalley's staff.
What the hell does a Lt. Governor do anyway?
Some with Mrs. OweMalley's staff!
8 percent pay cut to all state employees making 6 figures
from the governor downward.
And eliminate 2 vacation days per employee.
These are the things that should be done before layoffs!
Of course how much spending did you hero OweMalley add after the special session?
Posted by: jay | January 15, 2009 11:26 AM
Well, thank you Mike Miller for stating the truth. Counties should be cut first. - I didnt see them getting furloughs and paycuts. Most State Offices are running on bare-bones and poorly paid "civil servants" as it is (with the emphasis on servants). You think things dont get done now, lets layoff some more workers??? Another money pit is the University System in MD - TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR STAFF AND SALARIES in the official budget book.
Posted by: pitifulexcuse4agov | January 15, 2009 2:30 PM
The higher ups definitely should take a pay cut, before lay offs are imposed. Maryland funds are spent on irrelevant things all of the time and it's not fair that the employees (or servants as previously stated) are penalized for it. If even a quarter of the Governor's staff (including the governor) took a pay cut, things wouldn't be as bad. Some of us are barely making it now. Take from the 6 figure group and leave the hard working group be.
Posted by: Should've never elected O'Malley | January 16, 2009 9:51 AM
Governor O'Malley just kept his word. He promised to spend Maryland's money on more programs...and spend he did...with the approval of his Democatic congress. What about all the money spent on refurbishing the Capitol Building? Why does Maryland now have a deficit? It's the same reason so many citizens are living with a deficit...spending more money than you make!!! What to do about it? Reduce the salaries of Big Spender O'Malley and his staff and take away the salaries of the congressmen/women who voted to overspend. Make them pay for their bad decisions...not the state workers who are underpaid already.
Posted by: Overspending needs to stop | January 22, 2009 8:14 PM
Unbelievable. How in the world can O'Malley justify this? More importantly, how in the world did this man become our governor?? Baltimore failed miserably under his watch so what made anybody think that he would do any better with the entire state??? Why doesn't O'Malley take a furlogh day? Why doesn't some of his staff cut the fat here and there instead of further increasing the states unemployment rate and foreclosure numbers?
Posted by: ErlichWasRight | January 26, 2009 1:16 PM