State Budgets

I wish the state legislature would get it’s head out of it’s collective ass and pass the state budget. Though I hope they cut a few parts of the republican version of the budget. Mainly the change to the health care costs and make the non-unionized employees have to pay more into their retirement plans to the tune of 5% and also vastly increase the cost of healthcare.

If they pass, which I don’t think they will, I get hit with a substantial pay cut and I doubt the raise will cover anywhere near the cut. The raise is also somewhere in the budget. Not sure what figure it’s at, but I doubt it’s over 2%. Even if it is passed at 2% raise, because of administrative fun I wouldn’t likely get the full 2% anyway. Plus since we’re heavy users of the health care benefits, that will also hurt us in the long run.

The bugger is there is nothing we can do to fight it right now as employees. By state law, faculty and academic staff are the only state workers who are forbidden by law to unionize. There are folks who are working to change that law and I’m throwing them my support. I don’t see any reason to ban any union.

In the off chance that they do pass, I have been doing some scenario work in my head. I can’t stop myself from mental scenario work (a.k.a. worrying), so I’ve pondered what we would have to cut, getting a part-time job to subliment pay, and even reapplying back to my old workplace. I wouldn’t shoot for my old position, but rather a position like the one I am currently in, IT.

All that will have to wait for the budget to pass, then the real planning will begin.

(Of couse the money thing wouldn’t be too much of a problem if it wasn’t for my student loans. :-/ If anyone has a lot of money to donate to a random person to help pay off student loans, I have a great candidate in mind... ME! )