Transforming State Budget Hearing in Vancouver Yesterday

From this report in the Columbian, the Vancouver hearing followed the now familiar pattern of more pleas to preserve programs and services than good suggestions for reducing spending. There were exceptions, though.

Ron Wilson, a former teacher who now works as an investor, questioned the generous salaries and benefits many state workers receive. “A prudent thing for the state to do is to cut wages and not raise taxes,” he said to loud applause.

Speaking of generous benefits, the Wall Street Journal this morning reports on another study confirming the disparity between public and private sector compensation.

Finally, we noted yesterday the union complaint against Pierce County for using volunteers. Kathleen Merryman's column in The News Tribune goes deeper.

It’s not the first time local unions have moved against a volunteer initiative. The City of Tacoma union pulled a similar stunt last summer.

Put kindly, those charges indicate a break with the new reality of making the most of a lot less.

Put unkindly, they reflect an unwillingness to bend when the rest of us are pretzeled out. That inflexibility is hard to defend, even for people who appreciate what unions have done for us.

I liked this.

A few geraniums were not going to affect their job security.

Right.