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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (36595)	8/27/2009 7:26:19 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 71588

"There have been plenty of drugs that are actual cures." Good. Like to see MORE or 'em! Like to ENCOURAGE 'em through adjustments to our patent system!

To: TimF who wrote (36595)	8/28/2009 8:58:03 AM
From: Peter Dierks	Respond to of 71588

Rhode Island Shuts Down The fight over a 12-day government furlough. AUGUST 28, 2009. What if they closed a state government, and voters cheered? That may soon happen in Rhode Island, and it offers a lesson for other states facing huge budget deficits and obstructionist public-employee unions. On Monday, Governor Donald Carcieri announced he would furlough without pay some 81% of the state's 13,550 state employees for 12 days between now and June in an effort to close a $590 million budget gap. Except for such critical services as police and prison guards, all state offices would shut down for those 12 days. We wonder how many voters will really miss them. The furloughs are the result of the budget passed earlier in the summer by the more than 90% Democrat-controlled state legislature. While lawmakers increased spending by 12%—including $226.5 million in federal stimulus—they also mandated that the state find some $68 million in savings, a goal Mr. Carcieri is now meeting with the furloughs and other cuts. He has said he is unwilling to raise the state's already high tax rates, but he told unions he's willing to negotiate alternatives as long as they amount to the $22 million saved by the furloughs. The union response has nonetheless been fiery. According to AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer George Nee, the governor's plan would amount to an illegal cut in employee pay, and unions are promising a lawsuit to block the furloughs. At least 17 states have used government-imposed furloughs to help them bridge budget gaps, but unions hate them because furloughs are imposed regardless of seniority. The mandatory days off threaten labor's clout with union members who have bought into the promises of security based on years served. So unions would rather sue than negotiate. This month a federal judge in Maryland ruled the furloughs of public employees in Prince George's County unconstitutional following a union suit. In Illinois, a state employees union is going to court to stop Governor Patrick Quinn from laying off 2,600 workers to help balance the state's budget. If these suits prevail, they'd remove a key tool for cutting spending without major layoffs. Unions typically have the whip hand in Rhode Island, where 62% of public employees belong to unions compared with 37% nationwide. But the last time the state's unions sought an injunction against a government shutdown, things didn't go their way. In 1991, the state Supreme Court allowed Governor Bruce Sundlun to send state workers on unpaid holiday, a decision that may bode well for Mr. Carcieri. We hope the governor holds his ground. State revenues have collapsed in the recession, and this year's stimulus is a temporary reprieve. State governments are going to have to shrink, and a furlough is at least an attempt to spread the pain fairly across the state work force. Public employees may lose a paycheck, but at least they keep their jobs—unlike millions of workers in the private economy. online.wsj.com