share.triangle.com - Gov. Easley's budget proposal - Comments

cafeteria workers

Visitor — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:49:57 -0400

You would cry if you knew how much cafeteria workers make. Try standing on yor feet all day with 30 minutes for lunch and a 15 minute a day break before you clean and mop at the end of the day.

Different Ideas

Visitor — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:08:58 -0400

I have sat back and read most of the postings regarding Easly's budget. I think that the 1.5% raise is an insult to the non teaching state employees. Perhaps they should look at making it an equal raise across the board for teachers and non teaching state employees. Or maybe they should reward the good teachers by the number of students that pass the end of year tests and punish the teachers whose kids don't. This state is in trouble and throwing money as a blank check to the DOC is not going to fix the problem. AS long as we don't have suitable punishment for children they will never learn respect and until they do the DOC is going to pushed to its limits. By taking God out of the classroom and unleashing the social services on everyone who tries to punish there child for doing wrong, they are never going to learn the difference between right and wrong. I don't mean beating a child into submission but a good spanking never hurt me when I was young. Nowdays if you give your child a well deserved wiping you stand a good chance of a visit or more from DSS. If you want to make things better you need to start at the source. Kids need to be taught to respect them selfs and others. Things now days are so much different than they were 40 years ago and I don't think they are for the better. IF the state wants to save some extra money, why don't they stop putting up the stupid signs that tell us what river basin we are entering. WHO CARES???

MIKE EASLEY BUGET

EDDIE — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:58:04 -0400

IT A JOKE.MUST THINK TEACHER IS ON ONE GOT COLLEGE EDUCATION, AND NEED GOOD PAY RAISE. HOPE HE LIVE WITH WAY DOES WORKING PEOPLE.

Gov. Easley's budget

Visitor — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:54:45 -0400

Easley is action like a spoiled brat.Just getting back at the state employees.The best thing for the state is he is leaving.Who knows he and Black may be cell mates one day.

So called, other state employee education

Visitor — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:16:54 -0400

Other state employees are educated. You show lack of knowledge when you comment that ohter state employees are not also professionals that need to be paid.

WOW!

Aimee Falder — Sat, 17 May 2008 17:23:43 -0400

As a State Employee also - thank goodness we have Representatives! Contact your local Representatives, share your comments with them, they are our voice. There is a link to your local representatives on the SEANC web site. That said, I have read a lot of the mentioned concerns and would like to add that Probation Officers have to have a four year degree, keep the "drop outs" supervised and try to attempt to get them the education that they failed to obtain. We may need to become teachers, but then who will protect you??? When you have qualified seasoned officers that can become teachers......well then, who will do my job? Who will arrest that offender, that sex offender, that violent offender? oh yeah, who will supervise the TEACHER on my caseload??? Who by the way has been teaching for a shorter time period than I have been a probation officer and makes more MONEY! There has to be some equality, it is just as hard for the "secretary" to buy food/gas as it is for the rest of the state employees. Well, if we get 5 bonus days, at least I won't have to drive to work for five days, but it sure doesn't feed my family or keep the community safe! Hopefully the final outcome will be more positive, but share your thoughts with your State Rep's! Let them do their job. Good Luck to us!

Humor

Visitor — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:27:49 -0400

I couldn't agree with you more. State employees, besides teachers never get what we deserve. We work hard too! Teachers work hard, but most of them do not have schedules like other state employees. Besides regular holidays, they also get breaks when students are out. And they need a raise, yeah right!!! Humor me some more.

New Taxes

Visitor — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:17:11 -0400

Our Govenor is out of touch. Look at him endorsing H. Clinton when he knew the state would not go for her. Why would he back a longshot? As for his tax increase, is he out of touch with the economics of the state, or is it just OK to persecute smokers and beer, wine and liquor drinkers. Another addition to the "sin" taxes is OK? We don't have a revenue crisis we have a spending problem. Balance the budget by cutting out mooney in the areas designed to buy votes and spend it where it is needed. Throwing money at a problem seldom solves what needs management attention.

Governor, General Assembly, State Employees, and Retirees

Ronald Lee Still — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:47:07 -0400

The retired state employee appears to overlook the many state employes, who are not on the teacher pay scale that work for the North Carolina schools. The pay situation splits the staff in the schools and leads to morale issues. It is so unfair that many teachers are supporting a raise for the state employees so the support staff at their school can get paid better.

The Retirement System would have more money for a raise for retirees, if the Governor had not diverted funding from it. Since retirees traditionally are granted raises based on excess in the plan, it would help if the General Assembly and Governor would see that interest is paid into the plan for the money withheld. Having the extra money in the plan might take a little drain off the budget, since the retirees could be paid totally from the plan as it was designed instead of taking money from the annual budget as has been done recently.

Gov. Easley's budget

Visitor — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:41:24 -0400

I am a democrat but will more than likely vote republican this year...I have been a state employee for 28 years and can barely make it from paycheck to paycheck. Pay raises have not kept up with the cost of living and I can't afford to put gas in the car to get to work! And that's using the park and ride lots! I have had it with being the redheaded stepchild for the state! We deserve enough of a raise to at least put a tank of gas in our cars! 1.5% is a slap in the face!

Budget

Visitor — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:29:52 -0400

This budget sucks! Why are we the state employees who have stayed with the state for years constantly getting the short end of the stick!?? He can keep his 1.5% raise and stick it.......We deserve alot more considering we can hardly afford the gas to get to work and groceries to keep our families fed. It's a good thing he is not running for re-election because he would certainly NOT be getting my vote.

Politicians - Easley doesnt give a @#$%!

Visitor — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:55:47 -0400

We need higher thinking politicians who can solve recurring issues, respect what's important such as our "Teacher's" who shape and mold our children. I am a 32 year old African American "Black" individual...I really don't care about what your(Politicians) party affiliation, what we need is a solution that works for a lot of our budgeting issues. Most Americans(human beings) just want a good future for their children and I don't know about many of you, but money is not the only solution...ethics, character and integrity. I have seen many perspectives of life here in NC, from the bottom to some "fine" dining.
What it is going to take is a Steve Convey type of philosophy in order to make where we live better indepentency first then intradependacy. (Excuse my spelling.)
As long as the mentality is of a self-centered focus we will continue to deal with crooks and actors never really experiencing true leaders and that goes for Republican, Democrats, or whatever you want to call it.

I just want my kids to inherit a better world and play their part in making it better for the next.

Peace

Teachers Union??

Visitor — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:56:44 -0400

What teachers union. There is no teachers union in NC, just an association that is useless. This state doesn't allow collective bargaining, the power of a union, for state employees. So get your facts straight and pay teachers what they deserve. How much do yo pay your plumber an hour? Now compare that to what a teacher makes an hour. And you still trust your kids to go to teachers all day long but will pay your plumber more.

He is an absolute *%#hole.

Visitor — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:39:33 -0400

He is an absolute *%#hole. In the proposal the stated that he appreciated and recogized the state employees and then in the same breath said 1.5% is that a joke or what. It is ridiculos, as if teachers are the only hard working state employee. I work in public safety in the largest county in NC. They expect us to risk our lives by going into these drug infested neighborhoods and all he want to give me is 1.5%, shoot that wont even cover my property taxes that is about $1850. oh yeah did I mention that I am a single parent and I do not recieve and kind of aid form the state.

Range of state employees

Visitor — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:09:08 -0400

In response to Brett Burroughs' comment that teachers "do have the education unlike other state employees" and, therefore, should be paid more, I am amazed that this person does not understand that the education of state employees ranges from MD, JD, Ph.D, masters level, and all the way down to high school level. Most teachers have only bachelor level education, so they are far from the most educated state employees. When raises are given to only teachers, then the more educated state employees, who often hold critical positions, fall further and further behind when their salaries are compared to the private sector. They often leave for this reason and are very difficult to replace. I am tired of hearing the reasoning that teachers' pay is below the national average. The pay of many highly educated state employees is also below the national average and no one makes a fuss about that. Teachers work 10 months a year and get the equivalent of another month off during the school year when vacations are added in. I don't know of any other state employees who have such a generous work schedule. Most of us work 12 months a year and only get off the amonut of time we are entitled to in the state's leave policy, which tops out at about 5 weeks after 20 years of employment. The "part time" work schedule of teachers should be reflected in their salaries.

Gov. Easley's budget proposal

karen_mann — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:08:50 -0400

Share your thoughts on Gov. Mike Easley's $21.5 billion budget proposal. What parts of the budget stuck out for you? Any thoughts on his plans to raise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes?

Read the story and see the budget here.

Share your thoughts on Gov. Mike Easley's $21.5 billion budget proposal. What parts of the budget stuck out for you? Any thoughts on his plans…