Cutting state-employee salaries rather than the budgets of the state colleges is a good idea, especially if state legislators take several hundred more millions of dollars from Pinnacol Assurance to plug the budget sink holes.
Generally, Republican lawmakers favor the salary cuts and oppose the Pinnacol raid, and Democrats, generally, mirror those positions in reverse, meaning they favor the raid on assets and oppose the salary cuts.
But Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's administration has grown the state payroll, so he should be just as willing to cut back to save the state dough in its financial crisis.
At the same time, Pinnacol has grown its surplus by keeping the cost of workers-comp insurance low for businesses throughout the state. To give some of the money up for the best interests of all the people, shouldn't be too hard a political stretch. Ken Ross, president and CEO of Pinnacol, may already have seen that light on the subject.
Compromise is the height of lawmaking, so our legislators, who usually plum the debths of partisanship, should get together on this and work out a solution.
It would be refreshing to see it get done.
Colorado political and social issues are a foreign language for me.
ReplyDeleteOne of the big issues in Florida right now is expansion of casino gambling on the Seminole Indian reservations. The proposed bill will create 45,000 jobs and $500,000 + per year in revenue for the state. It is a 'no brainer" for me. There must be a list of special interest that need to to step up to the "cash bar" for a drink from the holy grail of tax revenues. This is easy money with much of coming from out of state tourists.
The systemic value is unpredictable and questionable. The fact that many vacationed here in the past and have settled permanently is evident everywhere. I am one of those when the state had only 6 million residents. Last I heard we are approaching 30 million. The idea that many of these particular visitors may eventually reside here stimulates my imagination.
Even the occassional gambler tends to be a free spirit "libertarian" type individual. They gravitate away from outside influences in their life and enjoy freedom. Freedom from anyone telling them how to spend their money as they choose. They resist government intervention in their lives. Many are of an entrepreneurial nature and have acquired some wealth. Florida does not have an income tax and is ripe for new generation type enterprises. Unionization, card check or not, will never take the state over in my lifetime. The state already has many low cost healthare plans for indivuals. We don't need socialized medicine, community action groups, and educational mandates which have impaired students from achieving their goals.
When the social revolution gathers full steam the migration will accelerate. Homes are 1/2 to 1/3 the price of most places in the country.
The table is set and the Deep South" will rise again !!
One of the largest meat packing companies in the US, Lykes Brothers, constructing a sugar cane ethanol plant on a 20,000 acre plantation. This will be high octane Brazilian grade ethanol. These are the types of enterprises that disgusted entrepreneurs from the north might capitalize in Florida rather than windmills and electric cars which will not trnsport most round trip to work. Solar is ripe and I forsee it as a cottage industry. Nukes are being built as I write and the state is well on its way to energy independence. We also have a "balance budget amendment" curtailing excess state spending.
I sense a rebirthing of Florida upon passage of this bill. It will be a significant step towards liberation from the grip of the federal bureaucrats in DC.