Tough times continue, and the county where I live is trying to plug a potential $50 million budget deficit brought on by falling sales tax revenue. Of course, one tried and true method is to balance the budget on the backs of public workers. Everybody hates public workers, so they’re an easy target. They’re lazy, slovenly, sloth like, and, even worse, they’re unionized. :omg:

Our Republican County Executive (who followed in her father’s footsteps by repeatedly running for mayor and losing, finally managed to win a close race to become only our third County Executive – an office never held by a Democrat; the first two were in office for a combined 45 years – when the former exec finally retired) has issued an ultimatum to the County’s union members: give up the contract raises due to you in 2010 that were negotiated in good faith, or get 9 weeks of unpaid leave (plus she wants them to pay more for the health insurance, which is the other way they always try to screw the workers; good thing we don’t have a single payer system) . Hey, I’ve got an idea: let’s furlough the snowplow drivers from January until March. Think anybody will miss them?

This doesn’t really seem equivalent to me, since 9 weeks out of 52 is over 17% annual pay lost. I’m not familiar with the contract, but I’d be surprised if the raises were more than 3%, so it seems like 8 unpaid days off would be more like it. But, of course, the point isn’t really to save money, as much as it is to set a precedent for the county reneging on the contract every time the financial winds blow the wrong way. Governor Blinky tried the same shit with the State unions. It would make contract negotiations a joke, and it’s not like when times are good (assuming times will ever be good again) the union can come to the County mid-contract and demand a raise.

In more shocking news, it appears that the Democrats may have finally figure out that they control the House, Senate, and White House, and may actually be ready to leave the obstructionist Republicans behind in passing health care reform. Unions threatening to withhold support in the midterm elections really seems to have rallied the House Democrats. Now it’s time to start putting the screws to the Senate DINOs now, as they seem to be the real problem (and of course the President, who apparently needs to be shamed into bringing his actions in line with his pre-election rhetoric).

In the meantime, there’s always Barney.