vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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

12.15.2008

To tell or not to tell

I'm told that some state employees learned the news today that they were on the chopping block while in other agencies those discussions were not had.

Part of the difference appears to be confusion over what's the right way to go. Treasurer Jeb Spaulding told three of his employees that their jobs are on the list to be eliminated.

In other agencies, the thought was that these cuts are definite until the Joint Fiscal Committee says so. Plus there's this whole union process to go through to eliminate a job and bumping of positions that goes on in some cases.

Vermont State Employees Association Executive Director Jes Kraus said he'd prefer that a boss sit down with an employee and tell them the truth in advance of the union process.

- Terri Hallenbeck

posted by vt.Buzz | 6:18 PM |

Comments:

Wow, none of the 15 or 16 Doesless mouthpieces seem to be on the chopping block. All the PR guys and gals keep getting fat pay checks and low-income college students pay more for tuition. Yup there is a Santa Claus, but he only rewards the "doesless gang."

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:12 AM, December 16, 2008

I see the Freeps editorial page rallied to the guv's defense. It's the only way the Freeps eds can absolve their own guilt for cutting their own staff. See. See. If the state is doing it too, then you can't blame just us.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:07 AM, December 16, 2008

I hate to defend the big evil Gannett giant ... BUT ...

I doubt that the person who wrote the editorail had much to do with the lay offs.

I could be wrong ...

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:39 AM, December 16, 2008

The union wants Douglas to be the bad guy here.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:10 PM, December 16, 2008

Douglas wants the Union to be the bad guys here.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:47 PM, December 16, 2008

Douglas is the bad guy here!

All of this is happening under his watch and GWB's watch.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:39 PM, December 16, 2008

Did you know that Douglas has been contracting out many state functions to the private sector over his 6 years?

Sounds like a good idea, huh?

Only the cost is higher than if state employees do the work!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:40 PM, December 16, 2008

In other words, Jeb Spaulding has a brain, a heart and a soul and doogie doesn't.

Thanks for clearin' that up, Terri.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 9:40 PM, December 16, 2008

"All of this is happening under his watch and GWB's watch."

Yeah, this national recession is happening under Douglas' "watch" so he must be at fault for it.

You dope. Were you a liberal arts major?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:06 PM, December 16, 2008

Anonymous said...

""All of this is happening under his watch and GWB's watch.""

"Yeah, this national recession is happening under Douglas' "watch" so he must be at fault for it."

Cut the crap, clueless. Shrub and the cluelessly-corrupt, gop-slime Congress is responsible for the national recession.

Shrub is doogie's boy. Doogie still supports the brain-dead bushleague policies responsible for this mess. Doogie, with the help of the obstructionist gop-trash in the House has been able to veto anything he didn't like and withstand any override attempts by the Legislature to save us from his incompetence.

This is his mess. Them's the facts. Deal with it.

Ya got bupkis, bonehead. Ya always do.

Let him make license plates.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 10:09 AM, December 17, 2008

It's easy to name call when you don't have to put your name at the end.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:23 AM, December 17, 2008

Fact -- Jim Douglas campaigned on JIM=JOBS.

That's not something the liberals or party bosses made up - that was Douglas' campaign.

Since 2003 when Jim Douglas took office as Governor, Vermonters have lost jobs and their lives are worse off then before his tenure.

Oh, but it's convenient for him to blame Democrats - even though the House was under GOP control then.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:26 AM, December 17, 2008

Jes Kraus sold me out - and he's now the main union stooge. Guess how much he makes - maybe he should take a cut for every position that is lost.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:17 PM, December 17, 2008

clueless
cluelessly-corrupt
gop-slime
brain-dead
obstructionist gop-trash

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:04 AM, December 18, 2008

jwhack, you can keep repeating your irrational nonsense til you die, but Douglas didn't cause the national recession. Period.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:06 AM, December 18, 2008

Maybe Douglas should take a cut for every job lost.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:22 AM, December 18, 2008

Anonymous said...

"jwhack, you can keep repeating your irrational nonsense til you die, but Douglas didn't cause the national recession. Period."

Feel free to point out just where I did say doogie did cause the national recession, iggy slop.

Go on. Knock yourself out, nitwit. Save me the trouble.

Pack a tent. Bring your sleeping bag and a couple of changes of clothes, clueless. You're gonna need 'em.

Your ignorant anonymous ass can keep droolin' your delusional dreck all ya want, deduce bag, but you'll still be dumb, you'll still be scum and you'll still have bupkis.

Bush and the gop-slime Congress he had for the first six years of his reign of error are responsible for this mess.

The same gop-slime Congress Clinton was saddled with for the last six of his eight years in office.

The Dems have controlled Congress for less than two years. They haven't been able to push anything through to stop this because shrub and the obstructionist gop-slime minority in Congress can block or veto everything they've tried to push through just as doogie and the obstructionist gop-slime minority in the House have been able to do here.

Shrub and his brain-dead policies caused this mess. Doogie still supports shrub and the brain-dead policies behind this mess.

Doogie and his brain-dead policies compounded it and are responsible for its effects on Vermont.

This mess happened on their watch.

Them's the facts, little factose-intolerant fella.

Get your sorry butt a case and a clue and deal with it.

Always a pleasure.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 12:56 PM, December 18, 2008

Anonymous said...

"Maybe Douglas should take a cut for every job lost."

Hare kari would be a nice gesture as cuts go.

Short of that, he should cut his ministry of propaganda by at least 50 percent he and his remaining staff and appointees should take 50 percent cuts. At least.

He and his hacks are the ones responsible for this mess. It happened on his watch. Let them bear the consequences of their cluelessness and incompetence for a change.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 2:00 PM, December 18, 2008

Doogie and his brain-dead policies compounded it and are responsible for its effects on Vermont.

Explain exactly how Gov. Douglas "compounded" the recession. And don't even think of just resorting to your lame nonsense that he vetoed what the Dems wanted, because that assumes that whatever the Dems wanted would have improved the economy and you've yet to prove that.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:33 PM, December 22, 2008