Both Sides of the Fence
A Tosa resident since 1991, Christine walks the dog, cooks but avoids housework, writes and reads, and enjoys the company of friends and strangers. Her job takes her around the state, learning about people's health. A Quaker (no, they don't wear blue hats or sell oatmeal or motor oil), she has been known to stand on both sides of the political and philosophic fence at the same time, which is very uncomfortable when you think about it. She writes about pretty much whatever stops in to visit her busy mind at the moment. One reader described her as "incredibly opinionated but not judgmental." That sounds like a good thing to strive for!
Save the County AND live happily ever after
Eliminate Milwaukee County government to save money and reduce taxes? The Pubic Policy Forum's proposal to do just that will be greeted with jeers on one hand and applause on the other.
As a more moderate sort, I fall closer to the "not so fast" end of the spectrum. But that doesn't mean the "do nothing different" end of the spectrum.
Rob Henken, who heads the Forum and the study research team, is a very smart guy. He worked on Scott Walker's executive team (but was not necessarily on the County Executive's political page), and he knows whereof he speaks.
Still, an accounting approach to the very real problem of bloated fringe benefit costs that are sinking the County ship is one-sided. The other way to approach the problem besides cuts is to increase income. And there's a way to do it without just taxing all of us.
Increase hiring, tame the pension and benefits plans, and go self-insured.
That's right: more jobs, not fewer. A pension system becomes a ponzi scheme when the number of retirees increases and the number of people paying into it decreases. So reducing county staffing but continuing to pay for someone else to do the work only worsens the problem. It sends the money somewhere else.
Hire residents to do the work. I guarantee there are more than enough excellent people out here. Let us pay into the pension fund while you are curbing its earlier excesses and making current benefits more in line with what is reasonable.
And create a model self-funded healthcare system. Maybe you have that already: I don't know. But the County certainly has the resources to do it. Too bad the County Hospital was privatized: that could really keep costs down in a self-funded system. If Quad Graphics can do it, certainly the County can. And with the incredible resources here, it could become a model of cost-effective healthcare.
An immodest proposal? I don't think so. Isn't it time to stop finding "solutions" that worsen the problem for people while showing economic improvement on spreadsheets?
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Thanks for letting me know that the county healthcare system is already self-funded. I'm sure there's opportunity to do something really innovative there to reel in costs--if we have the will.
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Look at what a success it has been by firing the lazy good for nothing janitors who were sleeping on the job, from the County and bringing in a janitorial service.
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Hey captain obvious, who is going to pay for all of the salary and benefits of the new Milwaukee County employees? You sound like a child who thinks that money falls from the sky;the County has no money except that what is taken from us property owners.
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Back to topTine - Jan 27, 2010 5:12 PM - Report Abuse
Yes, we pay taxes to pay for the jobs. But I'd rather pay for my neighbor to have a decent job than to pay for someone in Delafield to make money by hiring my neighbor but not giving him benefits.
As for the janitors, well, I'm not condemning all county workers on this basis. I know lots of dedicated people who work hard and do great work. But I guess you see what you look for. If I were you, TT, I'd get out of the bathrooms more often.
TosaTownie - Jan 27, 2010 2:14 PM - Report Abuse
Night and day improvement, the bathrooms are not filthy and if the service doesnt work out, you simply fire them.
Its all good.
TosaTownie - Jan 27, 2010 1:56 PM - Report Abuse
The healthcare system is already self funded.