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From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
Give me 8 hrs and I’ll guarranty to balance any town or city budget. It’s not rocket science.You can’t have a person within a town or city, in charge of balancing a budget. They won’t make the necessary cuts required to balance their budget. Not after they’ve assigned their friends to so many cushy positions.
If a median income in a particular town is $45,000 per year, how can a mayor or superintendent be making $150,000 or more? Simple solution, a salary cap of $100,000.
You’re afraid you’ll lose too many “good” people? They can’t be that good, if they’re not willing to balance a budget without raising taxes.
Why are we being taxed on our automobiles? There is no logical reason in the world to be taxed this way. What’s next, an excise tax on jewelry, nice furniture, expensive suits? Where does this end? Why are we being taxed on a car, every time it is sold? Isn’t that double taxation? Why do we simply accept this?
From: Top 10 Biggest Issues of the New General Assembly Session
in News
As I have mentioned on a number of occasions, as to 'Regionalization'....Rogues Island has 5-Counties that nother then existing, on paper, exist for not reason. My point here being that Rogues Island is the ONLY State in the entire US of A that DOES NOT have any form, what-so-ever, of 'County Government'!!! (IE: = Regionalization)SO....Governor 'Flake' (aka Moonbeam) thinks the way to solve all of our problems is to raise taxes on those of us that can ill afford it....is that what your telling me, Ollie?
HELLO....how about we cut spending, especially entitlement spending, etc., etc.
Municipal Pension Reform....that's and easy one! Put all of what currently exists in Pension Funds into one big fund and then roll of that over into a 401k Plan as those of us, not a part of "The Entitled Class' have had to do for our retirements......and that, then, going forward, is how Municipal Employees will be treated like the rest of us that have for far too long had to pay for others to have what we could only dream of!
SAME SEX...aka "Gay" Marriage. I best shut-up now!
From: RI GOP Predicts: Who Will Win Iowa?
in Politics
Who will win in Iowa? Who cares?!?!? Really, does it really matter who wins in Iowa?Iowa? Really?
No. Instead we'll have to hear about each and every caucus or primary, every day for what will seem like eternity.
From: Top 10 Biggest Issues of the New General Assembly Session
in News
Regionalization should have been implimented decades ago. That's what makes me believe it will never happen here in RI. It makes too much sense. It's a way to cut costs and reduce the size of government. Do you actually think that government will reduce it's size? Yeah, ok.Same sex marriage? Really? This is an important issue?
Car taxes should never be. What's next, taxes expensive jewelry? Taxing nice landscaping?
From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
That's all Fran Gallo is getting! Wait a minute. In the Providence Urinal it said she has raised graduation rates, improved reading scores, gave meaning to lives of simple poor people, let the blind see, and the crippled walk. Can we pass the hat, please for god's sake help this incredible woman spread her glow to the other misguided towns.From: 12 to Watch in 2012: The Race in Congressional District 1
in Politics
David Cicilline will lose ...write it down. He is one and done!From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
Mr. Smith;True that a handful of well compensated administrators is not the sole cause but it is indicative of the overall financial mess. Bear in mind that the average pension of retirees is about $25k per year and while there are thousands as you state, there are many other contributing factors, especially a reluctance to be creative such as regionalizing/combining and reducing overhead expenses. Bottom line; the spider has weaved an intricate web, which has trapped us all, the taxpayers
From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
------------@wuggly, of course personnel is the biggest expense in any organization. That said, eliminating the fat cats sure feels good but ultimately does little to curb an organization's personnel expense.
Hundreds (if not thousands) of employees and retirees, skyrocketing health care costs, diminished receipts from economic slowdown, dumb decisions, etc. Those are the factors that have buried our cities and towns, not a handful of well-paid administrators.
From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
Aptly put Wuggly. We truly NEED a self examination and scrunity across the board, not just in public sector services but for the overpriced and all too often unwarranted costs of just getting by. We are at the brink; time to look in all directions for a life-line before it is too late.From: Tom Sgouros: Our Accountability-Free Society
in Politics
when is the next meeting should be posted on FacebookFrom: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
Rufus M I can't agree more. You've hit the nail on the head. No one wants to consolidate 'cause they don't want to share or not in my backyard thinking.@Edward Smith I don't care what business you run, personnel are always the most costly. Anything purchased for a business buildings or equipment is expensive but not as expensive as people you have to hire to do the work in the buildings or on the equipment. Walmart wouldn't be so big if employees weren't there to purchase stuff, get the stuff to the store, stock the shelves, account for the stuff, and sell the stuff.
Mr. Mikatis is correct about education you have to pay for professionals. That's not saying there aren't abuses. I think we all know there are. We need to decide what services we need what we can do without and what we are willing to pay. After all I can't go to Walmart or Target and tell them I'll only pay "X" for the product.
From: Patriots Bounce the Bills, 49-21
in Sports
Nice work, John.I hope the Pats defense comes around. I don't understand a team being down 0-21 in the first quarter, then roaring back 49-0 in the next three quarters. It's almost as though the Pats are playing possum for the first quarter (in two consecutive games). I doubt that's a winning strategy for the playoffs.
Detroit's Matthew Stafford threw for 5,038 yards this season. I doubt that 5,000 yards will mean much in terms of passing prowess in years to come. Defense have been handcuffed, and they'll stay handcuffed. I'll be surprised if someone doesn't reach 6,000 yards -- and soon.
Again, nice work. And Happy New Year.
From: Tom Sgouros: Our Accountability-Free Society
in Politics
I blame the cities and towns to, they could cut spending and make up for the difference or come up with another creative way to get revenue without burdening the tax payer.I organized protests in Providence as a result of the mayor and city council reducing the exemption. Providence also lowered the tax rate which helped the people with expensive vehicles but hammered the less fortunate. Mayor Taveras has given out pay raises and pays his staff exorbitant salaries,maybe he should start by cutting his budget! The city always says there broke but if you see what goes on and look at the budget,you will see all the spending they do. I understand we are talking about millions in revenue lost,but they can do it.
Recently at a city council meeting there was a homestead exemption put on the agenda by Councilman Narducci,it was to give someone an exemption to date back 5 years. They are only supposed to go back 2 years in which councilman zurier stood up in opposition to,so they have a vote and override going back two years. Just a small example of what goes on that nobody is paying attention to.
I will be at that meeting!
From: RI Among Worst in Country for In-Home Care Workers
in News
Why does Obama sound like a Union Rep, the federal government is overseeing everything it can to employ more federal workers. It's the state's responsibility to do what is right in RI. Just because RI is run by incompetents in our politics, administration and the GA doesn't mean we the PEOPLE have to take it. It is time to make the right choices and get the incumbents out of office in RI.From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
I would certainly advocate for consolidation of services, regionalization and prudent management of expenses. BUT, sadly most citizens would object to combining or regionalization. Do you really think that residents of E.G. would even consider merging with nearby West Warwick or Coventry to curb costs? How about Barrington merged with Warren? Not in our lifetime. So in some respects we only have ourselves to blame, we tolerate mismanagement refuse to consider merging or consolidation. The infamous Not In My Backyard mentality, which may ultimately spell doom for the entire state. I say split the state in half with CT and MA, this state is TOO small to survive in the non-industrial 21st century.From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
The plain fact of the matter is expenses in cities and towns are out of control. There is nothing that makes spending tied into capped revenues.Budgeting should be looking at rolling back revenues to 2006 levels and adjust the spending accordingly. This will squeeze the politicians and local administrators to really do their job and find ways to make do with a fixed budget. Think about it, how many people get an automatic raise every year in the private world? Yet the city/town budgets keep growing like there is no way to stop the increases because of past contracts that these same people had a hand in signing off on.
Time for all 36 fiefdoms to cap their spending budgets and force cuts on those that we are paying to run our cities/towns (they have not been doing a good job to start with).
From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
True that you can shop at Walgreens, Rite Aide, Stop& Shop but my overarching point is that we pay for services regardless and despite the outcry of overpaid public sector employees, the fact remains that EVERYONE has their hands in our collective pockets. BTW: Just drive around and see the hourly rates for auto repair etc. or try to get a real estate or insurance salesperson to cut their commissions. Good Luck. The issue is complex, not black and white but the collective media targets public sector because it is EASY and riles everyone up. If the same effort was made to examine the impacts of costs involving everyone who either sells us something, egal fees, provides a service, etc. then it would be a more equitable examination, but after all this is RI. And the majority of this list are folks who earned PhDs hardly hacks, and take a look at the salaries of their counterparts in nearby CT or MA, they earn the same or more.As a disclaimer of FACT: I am not and have never been a public sector employee, I simply want to offer some balance and food for thought
From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
---------Even if you factor in the cost of benefits, all these people combined cost taxpayers around five million dollars a year. A drop in the bucket when compared to their local budgets. You can argue all you want over their value but the bottom line is this state's problems aren't going to be solved by eliminating top administrator positions or consolidating them. Most local governments spend more than 75% of their budget on personnel and benefits. Some as much as 90%. Nearly all of that goes to rank and file employees and retirees. Beat up on the fat cat if it makes you feel better, but that won't solve anything.
From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
Rufus, the difference is all those other people you name, we use their services by choice. If I don't like the CVS pharmacy prices, I can go to Walgreens.However if I don't like the service that my Governor provides and the prices I pay for his staff, what choice do I have? Move out of state?
That's why there's the outcry over the cost of government, it's completely different from the cost of private business.
From: Tom Sgouros: Our Accountability-Free Society
in Politics
It's the spending stupid.From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
How about the fact that the average pharmacist at CVS et al makes more than 100K. So what you ask, well that is just one factor in the cost of RX drugs and health care, which comes out of our pockets too.How about the insurance sales people who earn a nice income, again their commisions are funded by our premiums. The guy who earns $80/hr. to install tile or do handyman work, autobody shops....The list goes on, there are MANY people whose salaries are tied to our pocket book, but it is oh so easy to always blame the public sector. If we REALLY want to tri, expenses etc. take a close look at everyone who earns a living from the money or taxes of others, of course that wont happen.
From: RI Among Worst in Country for In-Home Care Workers
in News
As in most things, the wages are better in Massachusetts,only a short ride away.From: 12 to Watch in 2012: The Race in Congressional District 1
in Politics
Davey boy has lied his way into a corner. It has finally caught up with him. Enjoy your last year of vacation in Washington.From: Chafee Pushes Pension Reform to Cities
in News
Chafee has become a wild card in this political circus. He doesn't have the GA on his side all of the time and Raimondo won't carry his water for ever. Municipalities are financially falling into a sink hole of debt and the pensions are the prime mover. The unions can complain all they want but if the funding isn't there, these pension plans will fail. It will come down to the unions against the taxpayers. In the end, the unions will lose this as the revenues will not support these liabilities and they will be cut.From: Top 25 Highest Paid Municipal Bureaucrats
in News
All these ridiculously high salaries for positions that aren't needed is what keeps us tax poor in this state. A state this side should be divided into 2 school systems and the number of superintendents, deputy clerks, assistants etc could be dramatically cut.Page 850 of 1363 pages « First < 848 849 850 851 852 > Last »
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