Cuomo Considers Cutting Up to 15,000 State Jobs

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: NY Times

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is considering reducing the state workforce by up to 15,000 workers in his budget, the largest cut to the government payroll in recent years, two people briefed on the plan said Wednesday night.

The prospective cuts are likely to accompany large reductions in Medicaid and state education spending, those people said, as Mr. Cuomo and his administration seek to close a projected budget gap of more than $9 billion.

But the cuts would represent a substantial downsizing of the state’s workforce, including clerical workers, state troopers and park rangers. And that belt-tightening would almost certainly be accompanied by noticeable reductions in government services, though it is hard to predict where and how much until Mr. Cuomo releases his proposed budget in early February.

Mr. Cuomo has made trimming the state’s far-flung bureaucracy a top priority of his new administration, hoping to reduce costs to taxpayers and root out waste. Along with Medicaid and education spending, money for so-called “state operations,” including payroll, health and pension benefits, is one of the larger portions of spending borne directly by New York taxpayers.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/nyregion/20cuomo.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

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2011: The year state and federal unions are destroyed, by Republicans *and* Democrats.

[PSPS]

1. That will sure help the economy. Oh well, at least the rich won't have to pay any taxes.

[bossy22]

3. you can't keep beating the same horse

and expecting it not to run away. New York state is having a major issue with business's and wealthy citizens leaving to places with lower taxes and a lower cost of living. Raising the taxes even more is just going to exacerbate this.

maybe its time we look at cutting some jobs- maybe there are some redundant positions.

[customerserviceguy]

7. Also, even though a lot of banksters are still doing quite well

There aren't nearly as many of them as there used to be in the salad days. The financial services community has been decimated, and while we can debate whether or not they had it coming, you still have to acknowledge that their taxes were a boon to NY State's treasury.

[madrchsod]

2. why not get rid of all of the manual labor and hire day laborers...

and outsource all the office workers to india or the philippines.

america needs to downsize to the 1800`s

[StarsInHerHair]

4. trust the Righties to have an inverse WPA program in place.............

real dangerous idiots imo

[HockeyMom]

5. Both my daughter and son-in-law (20 somethings)

are looking to get out of the education field. I hate to say this, but it is no going the way of IT in this country.

You tell me WHAT will replace these two professions in this country. I suppose this is why America is in the trouble it is in. I think we are well on our way to eliminating the middle class and becoming a 3rd world country.

[HankyDubs]

6. bankers get bailed out

workers get laid off. Perfect!

[Godhumor]

8. If you don't live in NY, you don't understand how bad the waste is. The bureaucracy is maddening

I hate to say it, but the trim needs to happen.

[bossy22]

10. just go to the DMV

last time i was there i would say for every 3 employees, only 1 was doing work. the others were sitting around chatting.

I hate to see people lose their jobs but public sector employment is not supposed to be a "jobs program". Its there to provide a service- and if the service can be done now by 1 person instead of 3, then you should get rid of the other 2. In the long run this benefits everyone because it creates economic progress.

[eilen]

9. I'll be interested in seeing where the cuts are put in effect.

I live in NY and from my vantage point, when they cut, it is usually upstate.

A local state senator is currently Independent as part of a group that is refusing to vote or caucus as a block with either conference (Valesky). For certain he won't be getting any lulus. My guess is these four breakaways just hate Sampson. He must be a real asshole. The state Democratic politicians here are not necessarily straight shooters with the public's interest in mind. Think of Espada and Monserrate, two very shady corrupt characters who wielded quite a bit of power in Albany in the last two years, and more recently Sen. Parker. The entire body (D&R) is corrupt which is why I think the 4 are opting out of playing their reindeer games. I noticed Cuomo quickly distanced himself from them.

http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senator-david-valesky-joins-groundbreaking-independent-democratic-conference

And then there are more perks to uncover such as these: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/nyregion/12repubs.html
Uncovering the Perks of Albany’s Fallen G.O.P.


By DANNY HAKIM
Published: February 11, 2009
ALBANY — Democrats took control of the State Senate last month after more than four decades of Republican rule, then set out to determine how the Senate’s own budget of nearly $100 million and its attendant perks were being distributed.


They recently realized there are some 75 employees working at the Senate’s own printing plant, a plain brick building on the outskirts of Albany. On Long Island, they found a small television studio, which had been set up — all with public money, with two press aides on hand to help operate it — for the exclusive use of Republican senators to record cable TV shows

I am sure NY has lots of places to cut expenses. I just wish they wouldn't do it at the expense of the poor and the sick.