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Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen


12.14.2008

 

On the eve of state cuts

We should learn about $20 million or so in state budget cuts Monday morning. Affected state workers are supposed to get the news first thing, then the list goes public on the Web at 10 a.m. You should be able to see it HERE.

This list will not include the sort of deep wounds that leave large numbers of people reeling, according to legislative and administrative negotiators. Those are coming next year.

Even if this isn't the big wallop, there will be layoffs among this group, they say. Not wholesale layoffs, but some number of people will lose their jobs. If the job that's cut happens to be yours, it doesn't matter how many they're talking about, it feels like a wallop.

If the job belongs to the person at the desk next to yours or across the room, it's not a pretty feeling either. I learned a bit about that in recent months and I can tell you that watching layoffs unfold around you is akin to learning someone has died. In effect, something has died - a person's livelihood, their sense of who they are. It's not a small thing.

There are, no doubt, some uneasy state workers tonight. To them, I offer empathy. I've always understood on some level that job layoffs are hard. I have a new understanding for it these days though, and unfortunately, I'm not the only who does.

***UPDATE***
The administration put out a news release Sunday night saying budget cut negotiations stalled at $19.7 million. When I saw the word "stalled" I thought maybe the cuts weren't going to be announced Monday, but that's not what it meant at all.

To characterize this as a stall is a little odd because both sides were well aware where each other stood on the size of this week's cut.

On Friday, Administration Secretary Neale Lunderville and Sen. Susan Bartlett sat next to each other and described their situations, nodding in affirmation of one another. Lunderville wants the Leggie's Joint Fiscal Committee to do the full $37 million ASAP; the Legislature wants to make non-policy cuts now (about $20 million worth) and wait until the full leggie is back to tackle anything that's a policy decision - i.e. who gets health-care subsidies and who doesn't. Now you can argue that the JFC is taking this policy thing too literally, but to say the talks have stalled suggests there's some surprise screaching halt and that is not the case.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Terri:

I think most people understand that layoffs are an unhappy thing for everyone involved, especially those who work in the private sector where they are far more common than in the public sector.

We should keep all workers who are laid off in our thoughts. And do what we can to help them, and to turn the economy around and put them back to work.
 
Sure, everyone will be affected but doogie and his band of loyal incompetents largely responsible for putting us in this fix in the first place.
 
Good point Terri.

So tell me, why does the BFP headline on the front page of their website say:

"State budget cut negotiations stall"

??????????????????
 
Anonymous said...
Good point Terri.

"So tell me, why does the BFP headline on the front page of their website say:

"State budget cut negotiations stall"

??????????????????"

Oy Gevalt! What a putz.

They've agreed on 20 million of a proposed 37 million in cuts with more to come in January, little fella.

One can reach agreement on half of the pie without reaching agreement on all of the pie.

Truth be told, there are even some of us living amongst you who can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Those acts are not mutually exclusive.

Walk, chew, walk, chew. You'll get the hang of it eventually, little fella.
 
" . . . largely responsible for putting us in this fix in the first place."

Proof?

That's what I thought.

Neither Gov. Douglas nor Speaker Symington nor Pro Tem Shumlin is responsible for the national or Vermont recession you idiotic partisan hack.

If anything, the Vermont recession is worse off because the Democratically-controlled Legislature has declared Vermont a business-free zone.
 
Anonymous has left a new comment on the post "On the eve of state cuts":

" . . . largely responsible for putting us in this fix in the first place."

Proof?

Once again, little factose-intolerant/nameless-nitwit fella, feel free to list all the legislation that doogie hasn't been able to veto and withstand any and all attempts to override said veto with the assistance of the obstructionist gop slime in the Vermont House over the course of the past six years.

Knock yourself out, nitwit.

That's what I thought.

"Neither Gov. Douglas nor Speaker Symington nor Pro Tem Shumlin is responsible for the national or Vermont recession you idiotic partisan hack."

Is that supposed to be a statement of fact, a question or just an effort to make me spit hot chocolate all over the place, little nameless-nitwit fella?

As a statement of fact, you're two for three. Neither Symington or Shumlin had anything to do with it since any and all efforts on their part have been either vetoed or subject to veto on doogie's part with the assistance of the gop-slime House minority.

As a question, while doogie's not directly responsible for the most recent bush recession, he has supported and continues to support shrub and the brain-dead bushleague policies responsible for this mess, so there goes that excuse.

If only he knew his ass from his elbow and had gone hat in hand to Congress four years ago, we probably wouldn't be in this fix, but four years ago, he would have been asking a cluelessly-corrupt, gop-slime, rubber-stamp Congress and the incompetent trash schmuck whose campaign he'd just served as the Vermont Chair for, so he probably wouldn't have had much luck with those cement heads.

Of course, if he knew his ass from his elbow and it had occurred to him to make such a case in the first place, doogie wouldn't be doogie.

"If anything, the Vermont recession is worse off because the Democratically-controlled Legislature has declared Vermont a business-free zone."

So you've said.

Feel free to cite just when, where and what specific legislation or regulation they used in so doing, dilweed.

That's what I thought.

Your wingnut nonsense talking points aren't evidence, little factually-challenged fella. They're merely your wingnut nonsense talking points.

Big difference.

Always a pleasure.
 
So why isn't Douglas cutting his $54 per day meal allowance? Why are his communicators still hidden throughout state government? Why is he not apologizing for not limiting govt growth during his years in office?

Douglas is like the little kid whose parents have to force their kids to go to his birthday party. Big baby who blames everyone else and never looks at themselves in the mirror.
 
"Let's try this again

Some of you have misintepreted what I said about blog control and jumped to the conclusion that we're not going to do anything to change the system.

I was merely giving you an update, telling you the factors going into our thinking. It's not going to change today because it takes time for the web people to make it happen and because we have other things to do. But no one is more eager to block JW than we are.

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 12:46 PM | 15 comments"

That was on Nov. 21 Terri.

Why is Coop still here being the same abusive troll he has been for over a year?

I think you've had more than enough time to make the needed software changes. It seem the the Free Press is not at all eager to get rid of this problem.

Care to do something or are we just going to have a snow storm on a sunny day?
 
I hear you. Those of you paying attention may have noticed these were not three ordinary weeks. Our online people are working on a new format.
 
Thanks Terri. All us us, Left and Right, are uniting behind this one.

We're all looking forward to cleaning this place up.
 
Well, it's nice to see that nameless-nitwit nation is of one mind on the subject, little fella.

You'll have to share, but that gives ya one more than you've had in the past.

Always a pleasure.
 
"Those of you paying attention"

MEOW!! HISSS!
 
Evidently, the budget shortfall is gonna be a bit more than a million or two.

It's official. Jim equals joblessness. Give him and boy blunderville another year and he'll have ya livin' in your car, too.

Assuming, of course, ya still got one.

If there's any justice in this world, those schmucks have shoes in their near future.
 
Why doesn't Douglas and Lunderville just ask JWCoop for his input??
I can't believe this resource is being overlooked! Great insight! Excellent communication! Great at spell checking! Tons of ideas?? Close by- he could ride his tricycle to the staff meetings! Seems to know all the right (or wrong) people. Has that know-it-all mentality so all he has to do is recommend the opposite of Douglas suggests and it should work because everything Douglas, Dudie or Lunderville do does is wrong.
 
NEK ....

".. because everything Douglas, Dudie or Lunderville do does is wrong."

Everything they do does is wrong, eh, nekkie boy?

If you say so.

Always a pleasure.
 
Thanks, Terri. Hurry please.

Signed, a Democrat.
 
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