Terry Cowgill lives in Lakeville, blogs at ctdevilsadvocate.com and is news editor of The Berkshire Record in Great Barrington, Mass. Follow him on Twitter @terrycowgill
It goes without saying that the best way to approach budget cutting is to take no prisoners. Unfortunately, that simple principle is easier to declare in state government than it is to practice.
Most of the money is in state employee salaries and legacy benefits. But unless the unions agree to reopen their contracts, labor costs are all but impossible to control. Even layoffs poison the well for the next round of collective bargaining. And, as the twice-convicted felonious former Gov. John Rowland can attest, layoffs of state employees can even result in a nasty lawsuit.
That leaves us with the low-hanging fruit. So officials go after the Department of Social Services and healthcare for low-income residents. For the most part, people who depend on those programs don’t have high-priced unions or lobbyists looking after their interests.
See the complete story at CT News Junkie.
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