They are Us and We are Them

Carolyn warned me yesterday that she had put a political sign on our front lawn. If I disapproved, we'd talk about it. After looking at it from a distance

and from close up

I can't see anything distasteful or disrespectful. In fact, I think that if all state employees would put out a placard and all county and city employees do the same, I think we'd all be impressed by this "hidden" population that we all like to complain about. This year especially with the economy in the doldrums, it is politically popular to raise the cry of lower taxes, fewer services, and fewer government employees. Somehow there is this idea that laying off government workers will strengthen the economy while laying off workers in the private sector will weaken the economy. The fact is that most government workers are essential, they are doing a job that must be done and if not by the government, by whom?

I haven't mentioned the federal government employees. I think many of us have this picture in our heads of all these employees coming from the state of Federalania with the desire to impose the greatest burden possible on our state. But aren't they really also us?

I think that before we look for across the board cuts for government employees at any level, we need to evaluate what they do, whether that action really needs to be done, and at which level it will be best done.