O'Malley admits depression
Staff Writer
2008-12-16
.bugnews.bloggieblog.com .
The Governor of Maryland Martin "Shiny Shoes" O'Malley admits their are hard times ahead. He blames the economy for the down fall of the Maryland revenue system. Others may blame an inflated real estate market and, the lack of vision. Being that most property value is decreasing and foreclosure rate is up, the property tax revenue stream dried up. The majority of the states in the United States have this problem. It appear that everyone was riding the bubble and no one cares or planned for the pop.
The Governor issued this statement to Maryland state employees.
In the midst of this deepening national recession, there are some difficult decisions before us that we wish we did not have to make. After collaborating with labor leaders over the last few weeks, this morning I have signed an Executive Order establishing a furlough and salary reduction plan for all State employees due to this deepening national recession that has us all tightening our belts at work and at home.
I know there have been a number of rumors recently about what this would mean for all of us during this busy holiday season, and I wanted to take a moment to address some of the concerns you may have.
First, as our economy continues to worsen, we worked hard to establish a plan that was as fair as possible to you. While this plan is preferable to layoffs and saves the State over $34 million, I know that this will not be easy for many of you and your families. That's why the number of furlough days and salary reduction that you will be asked to take is based on your salary. Those State employees who earn more will be asked to take more furlough days than those earning less.
Second, as we approach the holiday season and New Year, all State employees will be asked to take the day after Christmas (December 26, 2008) and the day after New Year's Day (January 2, 2009) off - but your paychecks for these pay-periods will not be reduced during the holidays. Instead, you will see a very small reduction in your paycheck in each period for the remainder of the fiscal year after mid-January. By asking employees to be off work and applying a salary reduction equivalent to those two days across our State government, our State will achieve greater savings by shutting down government buildings during these long weekends .
Many of your managers have been informed about the furlough program, but
for more information please visit the DBM website at
www.dbm.maryland.gov
Although we've made every possible effort to diminish the impact of this plan, I know that it will not be easy on you and your families. The decision to move forward with the furlough and salary reduction program was not one that we took lightly; and is part of a much larger plan to further cut our State budget by hundreds of millions of dollars.
As we face these economic challenges together, please know how much I appreciate the important work you do for the people of our State, and the essential contribution you make to our shared pursuit of progress. Because of you our State government has been able to do more with less, we've been able to reform long-neglected State agencies, and we've been able to reduce spending growth by $2.2 billion without abandoning our priorities.
As Marylanders we've faced difficult days before, and we've always come through together, proving time and again that tough times don't last, tough people do. Indeed, the best days in life aren't always the easiest days. I continue to believe that we will come out of this national recession stronger than ever thanks to the choices we've made together to protect our priorities and quality of life - and because of the character and resilience of our greatest asset: you, the people of Maryland.