Forum - Help us Build the Plan for Oregon: Reducing state government

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5,212 Views 1 Replies Last post: Mar 31, 2010 9:42 AM by Donna Loux

greg hopkins

1 posts since
Feb 23, 2010

Currently Being Moderated

Feb 23, 2010 6:29 AM

Reducing state government

I saw your chart on the growing size of state government. I have wondered how to reduce government size and scope for some time and seen politicians come and go that have attempted to reighn in spending. Most fail.

I suggest that privatisation of many goverment services is the only way to break the power of the public unions in Oregon. I am a member of Local 290 pipefitters Union, but my union has to compete in the market against non-union shops. Public employee unions have no competition and seem to grow constantly.

If you say that you want reduce state government, you will have to deal first with the unions. I also suggest that you meet with local private unions. You will not get their support but you may keep them from being as involved if they you can help the job market. Jobs for members are the biggest concern for private unions right now.

Donna Loux

1 posts since
Mar 31, 2010

Currently Being Moderated

Mar 31, 2010 9:42 AM

in response to: greg hopkins

Re: Reducing state government

Greg, I doubt that this will ever happen, since State and County employees are Union. We need to be looking for someone who is committed to reducing the SIZE of goverment. By going in and seeing where every dollar is spent in our State and figuring out if it's truly needed. It's pretty much 'use it or lose it' in our government, and so they continue to spend it so they can continue with the status quo year after year. This has to stop. Instead of line item veto, we need line item reduction, where we have a minimalist government that isn't out of control. We have one of the higest income tax rates in the US and we are one of the poorest States. The only way to get Oregon back on it's feet is to give people more of their own money. We constantly question police actions in Portland, but never how our money is spent. MAX continues to grow even though we vote against it. No one ever questions WHY or HOW does that happen? There is so much waste in our government and NO ONE yet is committed to looking at that and DOING something about it. It's not about how to come up with more money to run our Government, it's about how to run our State, the State of the PEOPLE.

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