Facing budget gap, Patrick announces plan to cut 750 jobs

Dah. Time to adjust the pay scales like everyone else had to do. What these long-time politicians and government employees forget is that they work for us and get paid by us. If our income goes down, why should theirs? Time to get rid of pensions and the unions.

Start firing your pals and we'll start considering a tax hike, Shorty.

The governor keeps talking about taxes/fees; now budget cuts and dependence on one time solutions stimulus money and reserves.
It's time to take a hard look at layoffs. The business world does this all the time, and we all know that the state has a large work force that needs be trimmed, too.

If the government didn't grow unnecessarily, then we wouldn't be in this problem.

Just because the private sector does well for a decade of growth doesn't mean that government should latch on to that and expect to be fully supported by the private sector. The private sector can contract rather easily. The government, on the other hand, is filled with people that just simply aren't that bright, and therefore they feel that they are entitled to their years of growth.

If the budget was reasonable to begin with, there would not be a problem.

When Mitt Romney was governor, the budget was $23.5B, under Deval, he and his Democrat buddies had no problem upping it to $28B. I challenge the Globe to go sit in Ashburton (across from the State House just in case you don't know) and see when the hacks arrive and leave for work. I think we could start handing out pink slips pretty fast...

TAX TAX TAX BOOZE --and will also cut down on DEATHS on our ROADS and keep families to-gether and cut down on Hospital- DRYOUTS and Women Beatings -- OH sorry sorry OUR legislators arn't interested in that Kill Children thats Acceptable on Beacon Hill --Even Dedham opening Strip joints now Good Job MCDonald ........ Cahills Buddy

Stop giving away millions to the failing biotech industry. He still hands out millions as part of his billion dollar life science initiative. Shut it down and lay everyone off then you have 200 million dollars back into the publics hands.

So, the state's solution to decreased tax revenues is to increase the tax rates? Then what happens? People have less money to spend because they're giving more of it to the state, so now there is even less revenue coming in, and the downward spiral continues. Who's running this place, the same people that run the T?

Reform before revenue- MAJOR reform...

In 2007 the state budget was $25.7 billion, in 2009 it is 28.2 billion, up $2.5 billion in two years!!!. Go back to the 2007 expenditure levels and guess what, A SURPLUS!!! People have the Gov wrong, he is not a tax and spend liberal, just the opposite, spend then tax the suckers to death.

Too bad they don't reduce he $cost$ of the service instead of the service!
Reduce empl bennies etc: Notice the MBTA posted a $4bil in salaries and $1.4 bil in bennies ! Merge MTA into Mass Highway Dept. and others!
But when U wait and not make any decisions the payback is a lot harder.
Too late now!

Clearly, this is a major problem that requires major reform. However comparing Romeny's budget to Deval's is like comparing apples to oranges. Romney cut the hell out of needed programs. I've watched children and families suffer as a direct result of Romey's budget cuts.
We do need to look at the quality and necessity of government employees. Also, how we can increase revenue to the state. I know that casinos are a touchy subject but they could bring in millions and provide jobs.
Unions can be tricky, but they're not the problem. I do think that they need to be more reasonable in their negotiationgs. however, as a teacher, with a district that formerly paid 9% of our insurnace premium, who are now trying to go 50/50 and put us on Mass health, I'm glad I'm a member of one.

I think we need to get rid of the tolls and just let the gas tax take over. Just think of how much we could save in salary, pension, and other benefits if we just eliminated the pike tolls.

Disqualify people for pension if they're still working and stop people from double dipping the pension.
Eliminate police detail at construction sites completely.
Stop allowing police to idle their cars for longer than 5 minutes.
Get rid of the failed health insurance requirement that is more cost than benefit.
Impeach Deval Patrick for being quick to tax before looking for things to cut!

The solutions are simple but politically impossible given the politics on Beacon Hill. Since the vast majority of the Commonwealth's taxpayers no longer have retiree health or pensions, it is time to bring that reality to the state employees who get these tax free retirement benefits.

1) Freeze the current pension system as is with each and every state employees given vested service credit up through today. Then terminate all pension service accrual and put everybody into social security and a 401(k) plan going forward. This will cap the pension liability TODAY. It will take another 20 years to fully fund this liability but at least it won't be growing. When the economy improves, the state can think about instituting a 401(k) match. Many private sector employees have seen this scenario play out over the last decade.

2) Move each and every state employee into a health plan that meets the minimum Commonwealth Health Connector's Creditable coverage requirements. If these plans are good enough for the people paying their salaries, it should be good enough for the state employees.

3) Move all state retirees to Medicare.

4) Eliminate any and all forms of double dipping.

People had a chacne last November 4th and didn't take advattage of it. Now due to the poor ecomomy we have a reprieve. We need the meltdown to rid public employment roles of bloat. Unfortunately the meltdown will not be geat enough to piece the shield of unions where the bloat really is.

2007 was so terrible, OMG we can't go back to 2007 budget levels!!!!

Tell each state department head to cut 15 percent of their budget. No exemptions!

Poster #7,

Seriously?!?? Since when is the biotech industry failing??? On the contrary, the last I read, the biotech industry was thriving. Massachusetts should make much more efforts to attract and keep those types of businesses here forever.

How about cutting salaries of your buddies, pay toll takers so that we don't get into the same he$% we encountered this weekend...by only having one cash lane open on the pike....merge some departments and let some of these overpaid buffoons feel the pinch as we do.

...get the heck out of office and stop whining about how bad things are because all you seem to do is spend our money like it's christmas...so you only have yourself and the people who voted for you to blame!

cut spending!!!!!! pensions!!! everything.

Why dont we just sign over our paychecks each week to the state of Massachusetts? This is where we are headed!!!

On the local level we have cut services, teachers and have frozen wages. Has the state frozen COLA's or wages for State Employees? Are there any cuts implemented in the legislature in regards to lawmakers salaries or fringe benefits? How about state employee lay offs? Let's just blame the Turnpike Authority or the Big Dig or whatever else instead of fixing the problem. Let's be proactive in our approach instead of reactive and set a budget that is real and not a dream. If cuts are necessary then let's cut from ALL areas and not put the burden on the local officials

Interesting....the Governor seems to be blaming the legislature for this shortfall. Last time I looked, the people that he is castigating are members of his own party. Is it too much to ask that Patrick look inward, and assess his own leadership skills? Whether he like it or not, that's what the rest of us are doing.

Seriously? When my incoming money goes down I cut things out. That means that I get along with the same jacket this spring, I will mend the cuffs etc. Why doesn't the government get it? If your income goes down you make do with what you have. I have cut back on parties, so should they. I have cut back on how much I drive, so should they. And what is the deal with them getting to get reimbursed for gas and mileage? I don't get that when I work in the private sector, a job is a job you get yourself to work and be done with it. My company doesn't pay me to get to work, unless I am going off site to something they mandate I go to.

Less money coming in isn't all sweetness and light and you do have to cut funding for programs. I cut my going out to the movies funding what is the government cutting? I didn't get my raise this year either but yet many many many in the government got their raises. Reform is needed now, serious major reform. It should be plain as the Citgo sign that the way that "business" in the government has been done in the past and even currently is not effective or sustainable and it is time for reform. A diet if you will, the government has gotten fat really fat and now it is time for a gastric bypass.

time to cut back on pensions, pension covered medical benefits, We in the private sector dont have those luxuries any more, why should state and mbta workers have them?

We have a system now of have's and have not's. If you work in private industry you have no vested pension just 4o1K which shrank over 50% or more. In other words no retirement. Government shoud forego all income taxes on what is left of the 401K's. Public workers have inflated pensions, with built in "colas". Most, if they work for the state collect multiple pensions with all sorts of incentives housing, parking and other false enhancements. And, who passes on these but, Judges who collect the same. Conflict of Interest. There is going to be a rebelion, Why pay taxes, cheat like public workers.

I'm a state employee and I'll know I'll take a million potshots, but I feel a need to set some of the misconceptions above straight. We pay into our pensions -- they are not manna from above. About 10 percent of my paycheck goes into my future pension. My health insurance coverage is about the same as that received by people on the Connector as is the amount I pay for it. I am not stupid, nor are my colleagues. I did not receive a raise this year. Like all my colleagues, I was furloughed for three days. I feel very lucky to have a job, but I will probably be laid off in July. 100 employees at my agency were laid off in January. We do not have parties at my agency. At this point, we are buying our own office supplies. We are all aware that we are paid for by taxpayers (which we are, too, by the way). When I look around, I don't see that much waste -- at least where I work. I see people dedicated to their jobs working hard to serve the people of the Commonwealth.

I believe as a generous, fun loving people caring devoted to the state of massachusetts, we should do the following to save our most noble politicans
whoi I am sure have only (sincerely) the good will and success of the people of massachusetts as their agenda. Lets get motivated, love your local pol, give him encouragemnet, and good words. The misery , incompetence fraud and outright
crime, is no reason not to put a shinning gold star next to thier name. Lets all pay huge tax increases, fees from hell, suck up the news of evil doing in the goverment.
do it for the gipper. and have a very merry untaxday to you.

Thanks to Romney we don't have the necessary taxes to actually close the gap. The people of Massachusetts foolishly voted in a man who wanted to cut taxes, damned the consequences. Now we have to suffer for your greed. So congrats to that.

Before anyone starts in the we are taxed to death rant, you are a wrong and 30 second google search of tax burden per state proves that.

Note to politicians:

The current economy is bad. Your revenues are likely to drop. This should not be news to you. You must cut spending and use all of the reserve funds to get through this.

The sun will come out tomorrow (or more likely next year) and you can get back to funding important programs. But if you don't cut spending now, you will be voted out before the economy recovers.

Deval can blame me. I'm a Massachusetts resident and I only buy gasoline in this lost cause of a state. I buy everything online and in New Hampshire. I strongly suggest that others who take umbrage to the size of the Massachusetts government effectively boycott the sales tax and do the same.

I don't like this one bit. I'm doing that stop the turnpike hike group's twitter protest tomorrow. the governor needs to listen to somebody, especially considering the gross mismanagement of the big dig debt. Why is it the responsibility of the MTA to saddle that debt?

Everything mentioned here regarding what to do to avoid a crisis should, without hesitation, be implemented immediately...BUT IT WON'T BE so don't hold your breath! This is TAXACHUSETTS people, and we do what is necessary to balance the budget and that is RAISE EVERYONE'S TAXES AND FEES so that the politicians, their family members, their friends and all the expoliticians who are sucking the state coffers dry can continue to live in luxury.
I HOPE THAT WHEN ELECTION TIME COMES EVERYONE REMEMBERS WHAT THE POLITICIANS HAVE NOT DONE TO AVOID A CRISIS AND
THAT IS CUT EXPENSES!!!!!!

Note to posters:

The federal government is the one screwing us. The feds give back 82-cents for every $1.00 they tax in Massachusetts. Other states (MI, for example) get over $2.00 per $1.00 of federal taxes.

So our deficit will continue to fluctuate with the overall economy. Get used to it or move so a state that is in federal receivership, unlike MA.

As a state worker, I, like Fellow Taxpayer #27, feel a need to set the record straight. I too pay into my pension and in 13 years, have already paid $54,000 into that pension, making about that same amount each year respectfully. I also pay state taxes like all the other taxpayers in this state. I am extremely grateful that I have a job and I am in constant contact with many who have lost their jobs since I teach and coordinate tutoring services year round at a community college. Our school has had cuts of 12% and 11% in the last two years in our overall budget, and in addition to that, mid-year cuts. We too are buying some of our supplies and doing more with less even as our enrollments have gone through the roof. We are alreay 1,700 applications above this time last year and will have less money to provide those services, but provide them we will.

It's not a pretty time, and yes there are probably a number of abuses by some state workers, but to lump all of us into one group as a bunch of lazy stiffs who only see other taxpayers as the source for our next free meal is too easy an excuse for blame that can be doled out in many directions...real estate speculation, using houses/mortgages as ATMs, poor business and political decisions, etc.
At our school we have been creative in cutting costs and are exploring many other possibilites. As many other posters here have said, "If there's no money coming in, then you can't have money going out." While I understand the anger out there, I just want you to know that there are state employess who DO care about taxpaper money, taxpayer services, and their fellow state citizens. I have this job and love this job because I see people grow and move on to contribute to this state and country in all walks of life.
Respectfully, franknbeans

It's time to put on the ballot a binding ballot question to compel all new municipal and state employees to participate in the social security system. Franklin Roosevelt caught hell when he reduced the pay scale for federal employees during the depression, but consider this- if half of our work force is in the private sector, and unemployment is 10-15%, that means that the private sector unemployment rate equals 20-30%, the equivalent unemployment rate as during the Great Depression.

HEY cHUCK--tHE BIOTECH INDUSTRY MAY BE SURVIVING BUT THEIR NOT PAYING ANY INCOME TAX CAUE THERE IS NO INCOME.

GREAT! get rid of the dead wood starting with YOUR job governor!!!!

I don't think any of us think Patrick is sincere after he tried to slide his former campaign contributor under the radar screen at $175K. How can we trust him to do what is right after he tried to give us "more of the same" after promising us "change".
I've worked in state, county and municipal government and I know there is room is almost every budget for a 10 to 15% across the board cut. Cut back on some salaries, equipment and office supplies.
Has anyone ever been to a GSA auction where the government is trading in cars with 30,000 to 40, 000 miles on them to buy new ones? Who is watching our money?

Excuse me. I am one of those state employees you think is a hack. I'm so underpaid for the work I do that I had to get a second job. You think I really want to spend my weekends working at the mall?? So next time you want to call someone a hack, get your facts straight!

Spend the stimulas money that Massachusetts is gettingto balance the budget. That makes sense.......then what will we do to attempt to stimulate the economy! Were do these ideas come from!

I'm concerned about CONCERNEDINDIVIDUAL,

Do a quick search of "overall tax burden by state" and you'll see that Mass. is in the middle of the pack (currently 23rd out of 50 states).

Please read up on this before falling back on that old mis-cast nickname of the Commonwealth.

The State budget was balanced when Deval came to office. He added thousands of people to the state payroll. And now he plays games when his
poor management catches up to us.
He should cut at least the number of jobs he added.
Cut all state workers pay 5 percent.
Remove all pension and other compensation abuses.
Then we'll see what we have.

To Democrattict - um, exactly how is comparing one Governor's budget to another Governor's budget like comparing apples to oranges? What should we compare Deval's budget to, in your opinion?

The Governor of a state is no different than the CEO of a company. They have to make the decisions of who to keep and who to cut, of what programs to keep and what programs to cut. Unfortunately, for every cut, someone will be hurt, but that's what it's like in the real world.

You mention that you have "watched children and families suffer as a direct result of Romey's budget cuts", but offer no hard evidence. I'd also wager that you, should you feel the need to do some diligence, could find that Deval's ridiculous spending has made some people rather wealthy at the expense of the taxpayer. To focus only on the few families that you "know of" and not look at the purported 43% "waste" to have been found by a non-partisan watchdog group, is irresponsible, at best.

You should be outraged that your current Governor has, to this point, shied away from the difficult decisions and allowed his spending to be grossly bloated while providing less to the everyday taxpayer.

Someone here put it best when they noted that the current regime based it's spending on the forecasts of ever increasing tax revenues from the private sector. When the private sector contracts, for the government to not have a plan to deal with this is an example of a grossly mismanaged group. Had this been a private sector CEO, his BOD would've bounced him long ago, but he's not, and never was, so he just doesn't get it.

The people who will eventually be hit hardest by his gross mismanagement will be the same people you percieved to be "hit" by Romney. The special interests will always have their lobbyist to insure they keep gettting the funds that Deval has allowed them over the last 2 years, but who's lobbying for the people you know?

And as usual, its not enough for the wingnut whiners. But then, when is it ever? And for all those who say the private sector doesn't have good benefits anymore and is having wage cuts, not true for me. Perhaps the whiners should stop complaining and go get an education so they won't be so terribly picked on anymore.

Get rid of the Tolls and tolltakers and all the other BS that goes along with the Turnpike authority. Let the gas tax pay for the turnpike. So much for "going green" in Mass -- let people sit at toll booths wasting gas and causing pollution. --

And no Mr Aloisi and Mr Turnpike chairman, the Fast Lane is not the answer -- it just prolongs the patronage and waste. The tolls need to come down!

Mikem, (post 31) so you're admitting to tax fraud? You have to claim goods and services bought out of state and on-line that are used/consumed in MA that you didn't pay sales tax on. Good move. Complain about the state and then cheat on your taxes. A true American.

Type your comment here...

ACCOUNTABILITY is all we need in the public sector.

I dislike the people that are glad about state or any layoffs!
This is a serious situation that we are in. I want to know why no one talks about where we are going to put the people that are out of work. We are becoming a welfare state and or, a third world state in that we have only the rich and the poor. Shame on us all.

So instead of taking the stimulus money and investing it in infrastructure to increase the tax base, just use it to write-down the state's horrible spending ways. Waitaminute ... didn't the banks to the same thing with the TARP funds? You betcha they did! And where'd that get us?

Just remember folks, the Mass Turnpike is an independent, non-governmental organization not under the Gov. Patrick's control. If it were, Romney would have abolished it during his first day in office.

Two Words- GAS TAX!
I also support a fat tax for all those overweight citizens who get weight induced sicknesses.
Maybe increase the tax on cigarettes and implement a tax on booze?
Someone needs to find a way to pay off the big dig too! that's would help us out a lot!

DEVAL SUCKS. enough said

Tie future spending increases to the CPI for the northeast and cap that spending at 3.5% maximum. Let's make the entire legislature part-time, eliminate every authority, and make the minimum retirement age for all government employees 62 with 25 to 30 years service- just like the rest of us.
END OF PROBLEM.

Deval Patrick quote: “The economic downturn is hitting state government especially hard..."

WHAT AN IDIOT, HE HAS CUT ZERO SO FAR. I DON'T THINK IT HAS HIT GOVERNMENT AS HARD A PFIZER, MICRSOFT, GSK, ETC, ALL OF WHOM HAVE ALREADY LAID OFF THOUSANDS MORE THAN PATRICK. HE HAS CUT ZERO AND IS EVEN NOW BEING VERY NON-SPECIFIC.

Provide fast lane equipment free, employ only two toll takers per rush hour shift, eliminate half the tolls, and cut 50% of the jobs that do not have direct contact with people.

A loaf of bread cost more than a ride on the mbta, its not the emlpoyees or unions that are to blame ,they work hard and long hours,to make sure everyone get to there place.the people who run the mbta including the gov,never bargin in good faith. if they did they would of bargin long before they ran into trouble with money like they did ,they have you hood winked,with our pensions that we the employees pay into its a semi private pension,that the courts ruled on.

I work in the private sector and I have never seen many hard workers at all. These are the very people that say how hard it is for them and complain about the state or MBTA, while going on the company computers all day looking at fantasty leauges.

I work in the private sector and I have never seen many hard workers at all. These are the very people that say how hard it is for them and complain about the state or MBTA, while going on the company computers all day looking at fantasty leauges.

I am another state worker, that works at the D.P.S. and we bring in $11 million a year and about $3 mil goes to the general fund. I also pay into my retirement fund. I also pay over $2 thou in taxes over and above to this state every year. And Cadillac wants to cut us. Our Dept has supported this state and we get nothing but grief from across the street on the hill, that they can't give us any support. Time for a change, I also got north for all my stuff. Too bad we are in the state we are in. Smarten up Mass. Vote the right way for a change, and get rid of the deadbeats on the hill.

Again people, we get EXACTLY what we deserve in Mass., for all you DUMBELLS that voted no on question #1 last year this is what you get and deserve, it doesn't matter what you say, do, or vote for you'r still going to get the same patronage, corruption,and nepotism that we have gotten for decades, always remember, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A RECESSION IN TAXACHUSSETS AS FAR AS STATE WORKERS ARE CONCERNED! It's business as usual.

bidemytime- NICE TRY. How could you actually argue that MA taxes are relatively low? The source you used, "The Tax Foundation," warns in small print that its rankings should be analyzed. Here is a better measure from the same source -The Tax Foundation: "Tax Freedom Day is the day when Americans finally have earned enough money to pay off their total tax bill for the year. In 2009, Massachusetts taxpayers had to work until April 16 to pay their total tax bill, ranking the state 7th highest nationally. That's three days after national Tax Freedom Day (April 13)." And that does not include the taxes they are about to add- nor does it include tolls, fees, etc.

Per the SBE ( Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council )- According to the “Business Tax Index 2009,” the 10 worst state tax systems are: 42) Massachusetts, 43) Vermont, 44) Rhode Island, 45) Iowa, 46) New York, 47) California, 48) Maine, 49) Minnesota, 50) New Jersey, and 51) District of Columbia.

CASE CLOSED

You don't believe it? He is, you know. He's going to cut the jobs. 750 of them. No really. He is. Just try him. He said he would and he's going to.

I guess cigarettes will be going up a couple more dollars.

Where is that reform.

Get ready for the old cycle ot be repeated. The tax increase will be voted on at a midnight session occuring over a long weekend. This will be followed by the repeal and rollback referendums.

Is there any chance one of he jobs he cuts will be his? Just hoping.

Wasn't Obama's stimulus money supposed to save jobs?

How do you guys expect the state to pay the employer Social Security tax to the Feds if you abolish the Pension System. It would cost more for the State to join Social Security than it does to keep the pension system going. The average state worker will get $25,000 per year for a pension and no Social Security. Sounds great, huh? Bet you want to live off of $25,000 a year! Go after the fat cats on Beacon Hill and in the Judiciary, but please do not take out your anger on the average state worker. I keep hearing how state retirees get free health insurance, well not in Massachusetts. How State Union workers make tons of money. Well not a Union employee. Union employees wages are capped for each job title. There have not been raises for a couple of years now. The managers get all the money, not the Union folks. Please leave the average state worker, who is your neighbor and in the same financial straight as you.

..and then he proceeded to hire 750 of his neighbors from Milton.

To those folks who said that State employees should get their health insurance through the Connector. Who do you think subsidises the Connector? You. The State picks up a Billion $ tab for the Connector this year, next year even more. It is so expensive to maintain that it has been shelved as a model for health reform on the national level. Great idea for a socialised government but get rid of it and a good portion of our budget deficit is gone.

State employees are also taxpaters! Also, as there is waste in any establishment, there is waste in state government, for sure. However, there are many dedicated state employees who work tireless hours to provide services to the citizens of the Commonwealth. Managers are now being told that they are going to be furloughed. This is certainly better than losing our jobs but at the same time, what is the state house doing about the "real" problems in state government? Knowing this was coming, how could our Governor be thinking of filling a $175K job that has not been filled in 12 years???What ab

I think we should we do what Illinois did--get rid of the guy!! Why wait until the next election?!!

That's right, Dave, when the numbers disagree with you, attack the source. Mass. got it's reputation as a high-tax state years ago, but it just isn't true now. In fact, the EXACT SAME STUDY reported that Mass. was one of the worst 15 taxation states in 21 of the last 31 years. No wonder that nickname was born (and stuck).

However, that has changed in recent years. Mass. hasn't been among the top 15 tax-burden states in the last 9 years. So stuff Taxachusetts right where the sun don't shine. 16 years of Republican Govs have left us with a shrinking tax base and crumbling infrastructure. But it hasn’t left us with high taxes.

Deal with it.

hey poster 25, i am not a state worker but you could have chosen to work for the state, whining about pension benefits that are better than yours is ridiculous. you made a choice by not applying for state jobs, don't bring down the argument with jealousy.

The state is in dire straits but our Governor has no problems awarding his friends with do nothing high paying jobs, and now he is promising his friend Bob Kraft 6 million dollars to build a pedestrian bridge over Route 1 at the expense of us taxpayers. Where is the outrage? This guy has to go!

I wish the author of this would do the homework and list this as a percentage of state employees rather than just a number. The last source I could find was the 2002 census which showed 95,442 total state employees, so a layoff of 750 would be 0.7%. In the private sector layoffs of 5 to 10% are normal and the starting point for cutting back. And as anyone in private industry will tell you layoffs of 5 to 10% rarely have a long term negative impact on the organization because it is the lowest performing people that leave. Please don't expect me to feel bad about a 0.7% layoff, I am sorry for the people that get axed but this is trivial given the size of the state organization.

The reason we have a rainy day fund is for when things go soft in tne economy. But when things get better, besides replenishing the rainy day fund our state has ap propensity to spend lavishly when things are booming and act is though things won't ever go soft again. No new tacxes umtil you address the deeply instilled problems already on the books.

750 people, huh? Lets see, where will this bozo cut? Anyone wanna bet he cuts staff at the unemployment office, the registry, and state parks? Not the overpaid friends of politicians, but the lowly clerical staff.

This guy is easily as bad as Jane Swift. Like Jane Swift, he has no mind of his own and follows incredibly bad advice. How can someone who has never held office in this state be so wedded to such a corrupt system?

I too am a state employee and some of these misconceptions are ridiculous. I went to Harvard and could do much better financially in the private sector, but I work for the state because I am passionate about my job and I think my crappy salary and lack of benefits (I pay more for health insurance than I did in the private sector, 10 days of vacation per year, bad dental and vision coverage, no 401k) is worth the work that I do as a public servant. I don't come to work just to collect and wait for pension. In fact, I won't be working here for 40 years, so won't ever be eligible for pension, and then unlike most of you in the private sector I also won't have any matched 401(k) to cover my years of state service. Poster 24 - who told you we get gas and mileage to come to work? I, like you, only can submit for travel when my job mandates that I go somewhere off-site. There were layoffs last year and when people leave positions they don't get refilled. We are doing more work for our already-below industry standard pay to cover our shrinking workforce and budget.. I pay out the nose for housing and parking in Boston with NO incentives. WE ARE BARELY ALLOWED TO MAKE PHOTOCOPIES ANYMORE. Seriously people, do your research. Do you even know any state employees personally? Do you see how hard they struggle to do good work at their jobs? Don't buy into the media hype of the few politicians that make the rest of us normal, hardworking people look bad. We pay taxes like everyone else and are struggling too.

I cannot believe, as a completely sane, educated, and logical individual, that I am even reading this statement:
"Patrick is also planning to use $128 million in federal stimulus funds to help balance this year’s budget."

Are you fu&!*Ng kidding me? You should not even be ALLOWED anywhere near the stimulus money as you have now successfully proven you do not know what it is for! Spend the STIMULUS on the very debt you should be working on removing? ARE YOU THAT OUT OF TUNE WITH REALITY?

You want some more tax money - why don't you look into the Kennedy family's avoidance of their estate taxes to the very state that Big Teddy advocates raising taxes in. Teddy magically made his mother a resident of Florida to avoid paying taxes to the state of Mass, and you wait and see - when big Teddy passes, he will magically become a residence of Florida to do the same damn thing.

Our state house is so full of corruption and greed, it gets more disgusting by the day.

The entire administration needs an enema.

All those sucking off the state coffers are screaming that we "can't go back to the 2007 budget"!

democraddict says he's seen "children and families suffer as a direct result of Romey's budget cuts" and "Unions can be tricky, but they're not the problem." but then identifies him/herself as a teacher who is "glad" to be a member of a union which is resisting the city/town's efforts to get the teachers to take a cut in benefits. What happened to the altruism of caring for the suffering children and families? If you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk!

#66 the average state worker is just like the average unemployed from the private sector. Many of these folks didn`t have a pension and some will soon need to tap into their own 401k`s to pay the bills if this keeps up. Sorry to hear State workers are now getting laid off. They will now need to "get in line like the rest of us".....

As someone who works for the city, I can't wait for all the people willing to cut state jobs to realize what that means for them. Don't call City Hall to complain when your needs aren't being met fast enough and you wait in long lines because there are less people to deal with you all day...

If they have enough money to pay all of Caddies neighbors 150K a year for made up state jobs, there is plenty of money. If they have enough money to pay for obama's auntie to live rent free, get foodstamps and free healthcare there is plenty of money, and if the Pike can pay Toll Takers 100k a year they have plenty of money.
The State needs to cut costs, if they need to lay off then they need to lay off.

How about eliminating Patricks Life Science Initaitive program:

It gives away free money to failing biotech companies

and it has a billion dollar funding from taxpayers and a $800,000 payroll.

It is amazing how people keep blaming the unions. I am in a state union and I pay 10 percent of my salary into the pension fund! There is no free health benefits either! I pay almost 150 a month just for a single person! You need to get the facts before you post. It is funny that everyone in the private sector thinks that the state workers are the problem. Look around people, it is your private little companies that bankrupted America.

Why don't we let the private sector take over ALL the road construction projects and then we can have the Big Dig state wide. Oh, wait.... that didn't work. For all those people who think the private sector is more competent than public employees, perhaps you should look at Halliburton and Blackwater. Does anybody care that GI's are being electrocuted because a subsidiary of Halliburton was only concerned about making a profit and not concerned about safety. Pensions used to be available for most employees. Rather than taking pensions and health insurance away from state workers, maybe we should try to improve benefits for everyone else.

People....it was not the unions, the politicians, the state workers, the turnpike authority or even the governor who got us into this....it was greed on wall street.....we all feel the pain, public and private sector....but please, express your anger towards the real problem...corporate greed!

Impeach DO-NOTHING Deval Patrick !!!!

Lets see how many State troopers he lays off, or people working at the Dept of Public Safety. Or the State Fire Marshals Office.

I am also a state worker - a worker bee - I work hard and put in a 12 hour day. many of us who also work another job to make ends meet. I admit there are a few deadbeats in my agency but most are working stiffs. Just doing the best job they can and really do serve the people of the state. The problem is that Devel did not clean house when he arrived - many agencies are full of old managers and middle managers who should have been swept out. They are all hiding in their offices pretending to look busy! Check out how many stupid titles these true "hacks" have -- it goes on forever ..
Devel added to this list and they should be the first to go....

Yes We Can......lay off 750 long term career dedictaed , average salaried employees, and hire how many six figure politically connected employees?
Yes we can...... screw the taxpayers, police, fire, teachers and other public servants to accomodate all governor Patrick's donors, drivers and bum kissers!

Governor Deval Patrick is a fraud. He tried to create a $175,000 job for State Senator Walsh, got caught and lied about it. How many other "friends" did he put on the payroll that we don't know about? He's only a one term Governor anyway. In two years he will be working for Obama and we will be rid of this stumbling, bumbling, idiot and hopefully get a real leader who can clean up this mess.

Hey Cadillac.....lay off your Milton next door neighbor to whom you gave a 120K per year FAKE state job. When you do that, we'll know you mean business.

Many managers in state agencies find themselves managing staff who are Union members that make more than them and have better benefits. It is no fun being a manager for the state, you are under valued, under appreciated, in many cases we are underpaid and we have to deal with the foolishness of the antics of union employees. We should be really focusing on the real "fat" in government, how about the Gov. wanting to fill a position that hadn't been filled in 12 years, how about those professors at UMass that make over $200K and in many cases, $400K.....Is that right or fair????

Yes, Deval was the cause of excess spending originally with the huge hikes as soon as he got into office, but now he's making real cuts. It's time for witless Republicans to support the governor in efforts to push against entrenched hacks, instead of criticizing him no matter what he does.

Why aren't all of us feeling the pain??? How can Management in State Gov't agree to a contract with the Unions allowing for an increase in their salaries over the next 3 years but managers are losing pay? There is a total lack of vision and oversight in state government along with the goings on in the private sector....we all know about stocks....we are going down the shoot because of greed and mismanagement at every juncture, not just in state gov't! We all own this...where I work, we wouldn't think of using the computer for personal use, how many of you send emails and jokes all day long at your jobs>>>

This is what should have been done during the last business boom: Trim and consolidate all state government agencies. The growth of companies like Walmart and McDonalds would have easily absorbed these displaced relatives and cronies. Of course, illegal aliens should NEVER have been allowed to fill these jobs or ANY job in this state - or in the country, for that matter. Instead, they should have been placed under arrest and deported!

It's a damn shame. This is no longer the America I once loved.

Excellent, but why stop at eliminating only 750 political hacks. There are tens of thousands of taxpayer wasting positions that should be eliminated. Get out the chainsaw Devil and start cutting!

Fellow taxpayers just as i do not paint you with a broad brush,please do not lump all state employees into the same boat. I am a State employee and also work a part time job to keep my head above water.
While there are Sate employees who need to be gone most of us are just working stiffs like you trying to get by . The people who are dead weight will not get the ax because they are at the top and they will cut twenty of us little people before one of them goes. Maybe the we should tell goverment where the cuts need to be made. After all I can tell you who works in my facility and who doesn'tGail