State of your state

I don't want to work for nothing either. Is that Governor going to work for nothing too? People have to live and working for nothing is not the way to do it. I would pay a bit more in taxes but working a week for nothing takes food off the table and that's why we work in the first place. I'm all about coming together to beat this crisis but I bet there isn't any food coming off these officials table.

Hi, Pat! Florida's a real disaster! And I guess the idea of teachers working for nothing is a trend. They've already told us we'll work for two days for nothing, then that they'll probably add a week of unpaid leave to Spring Break. I'm shocked that nobody's standing up and shouting that we won't work without pay, but people tell me they're afraid they'll be fired for insubordination if they do. It's illegal for us to strike! We're already underpaid, and giving up several days' pay will mean major disaster for me and most of my colleagues. Administrators who earn $250,000 +free house and free car are saying it's the least we can do for the kids, and a little sacrifice is necessary. None of them offer to pay our bills! It's appalling and honestly frightening. Joanne

Farmers in Canada have been working for nothing, or next to Nothing for years. I expect the same problem exists in the US also. The problems are input costs like Taxes, Seed, Fertilizer, and Soaring Fuel costs. The farmer is behind the eight-ball because he is a Wholesaler and can't get anymore for his products to offset his costs. This is because the middle man who Retails the farm commodities in his supermarket, restaurant, etc. can mark up the price of the food he has just bought wholesale from the farmer. This extra money goes into the retailer's pocket, which leaves the farmer who (produced the food) hungry, sad, sometimes angry, and quite used to working for Nothing. If you Ate Today, Thank a Farmer! (not the Food Chain)

I too am from Oregon and I would have to agree with you. Or teachers shouldn't have to work for nothing,they should get paid for the wonderful work they do.

hawaii isn't doing so well. Due to the reduced numbers of tourists visiting hawaii, prices sky rocketed. How about jobs? Let's just say people are doing what they can do to make money.

If I had enough money to survive already then I'd work for free, but in this economy, no way! That's crazy... can that really happen?

My question is...why don't people working for the state voluntarily work more days...weeks, for free? I'm not saying it hasn't happened in some places, I'm just asking why it isn't more common. Why there isn't that option so that more people who can and want to help during these economic times...can do so easily. I mean most of the bigwigs are positively rolling in money. So why don't they volunteer to take a smaller paycheck or no paycheck? Some preschool teachers CAN'T work for free, most of them are not rich folks...so if you can shave some of, as a servant of the public...why would you ask the public to make a sacrifice that is harder for them to make than it would be for you? Makes no sense. Seems somewhat hypocritical, really. My state? So far no furloughs, my state is heavily cutting back on funding to several things that we sortof need...but my state's government isn't panicking -- yet. Although one of our cities did make it to the top six of the "most abandoned" list apparently, and our unemployment rate is sortof staggering. But there's no panic yet. People are doing OK. As worried as everyone else...but we're slightly buffered, being so rural.

California is hosed, which should have been apparent to all when our Governator started hawking shares in the state government. At least they finally passed a budget. I'll bet that California is still in the Top 10 world economies, but these days that isn't saying much at all. Even Japan, at No. 1, is hurting just like the rest of the world is hurting. Good Luck and God Bless whatever state you live in, because we are all in for a bumpy ride now...

Well thanks to the Governor's pet railroad project here in NM that is heading well over 600 million to build and helped him get his pay for play money to run for president, the state is over 400 million in debt and growing. Also, taxes have been raised to fund the operation of the train since it will never break even. Also the first thing he did when he took office was to expand the size of the state government by an enormous amount. A recent study gave results that if the size of the state government was cut back to the national average, the state would save something like 2.6 billion a year.

Well... California is going down and I don't mean in a good way. I have heard a lot of ridiculous ideas, from splitting the state to balancing the budget by raising taxes - now they ARE doing that part but that isn't going to help anybody. Like I always say, they are irresponsible with the money they get from tax payers to begin with, and they should NOT be rewarded for it. If the government needs to shut down because they don't have money to operate, do it. Don't make US pay more for your inferior decisions and your desires to line your own pockets and spend on things that don't benefit any of the true citizens of the state. I don't feel the schools should be taken from. I do feel that government employees don't deserve raises, pensions, early retirement, extra benefits, vacations, cars, etc. Not paid for by TAXPAYER MONEY!! I also feel that people who are not supposed to be here should not get bankrolled by the government programs. Cut all the extra benefits to government and benefits to people who cannot prove they have a legal right to be here and presto, this state would be just fine. By the way, I don't think you should be expected to work for nothing, at least not teachers. Would it be more acceptable if you worked one less day a month? My exception to people who SHOULD BE expected to work for nothing would be anybody who is directly in government. Sorry but between all the campaign funding that isn't really legal anyway and the gifts they get from siding with and supporting other government people, asking them to work for free for a few days would be a drop in the bucket to them.

hello savypat no i cannot say that i would want to work for nothing either. who would? unless it would be helping my family members out with something or helping my friend's do something. otherwise, no, don't think so. and btw, my aunt and uncle live in Oregon. i have visited the beautiful State of Oregon several different times before. my aunt and uncle live near the Portland area. and i live in Middle Tennessee and we are hurting as well, but i haven't heard anything about the teachers here like that yet thou. i have two boys that are still in school, one is in the fifth grade this year and the other one is in the third grade this year. take care and have a beautiful afternoon.

Maybe the economic stimulous plan is just on the way helping all the Americans ,so ,don' worry about it

Hello savypat Our work is the main reason for the survival,if the job can not let go of our lives are no one will do. Hope you can have a happy!

I wouldn't work for free, even if my state was in a bad situation. I just wouldn't do it. I mean, how can someone ask you to work for free, without pay, that's preposterous. Doing a service isn't charity, it's a way to get paid--plain and simple--.

Not only does he want them to take furlough days and work for nothing, he doesn't want to touch the school reserve funds or rain day funds. I can't wait for uncle teddy's term to be up.