> Bob Velez makes a good point about social services caseloads. This is especially >important to Mpls-issues because social services needs are greater in Minneapolis >than the statewide average; so, when caseloads skyrocket as Bob says, people in >Minneapolis are hurt disproportionately. Particularly problematic is the rhetoric >from the GOP-controlled House as well as our Gov about cutting government, when in >fact government programs are essential to our well-being as a society. Yes, I know >that > this doesn't always fall along partisan lines and that there are good and bad >elected officials from all parties, but there is an overall pattern, and we really >should be aware of it.
Don Jorovsky > Actually, Carol, the interesting thing about elected officials (especially those >like our Governor) is that they want to cut taxes, but expect the workers in state, >County, and Municipal entities to "do more with less". They accomplish this by >underfunding programs and increasing workload per individual worker. I work for >Hennepin County in social services. I can tell you that since our County >Administrator pledged to have a net 0% increase in the County workforce despite the >fact that we > just built a new jail that requires about 250 people to run it, caseloads have >skyrocketed in social services. The solution that is beaten into our Program >Manager's brains is that they must streamline, reconfigure and redesign the way they >deliver services. Another way that they say we can "do more with less". I fully >agree that there elected officials want to cut taxes, but they also want to give >citizens programs so they can point to them to show their tax dollars at work. It is >a > wicked downward spiral and the politicians and the media have successfully demonized >government workers to the point where we are all viewed as lazy and on the gravy >train of tax dollars and inflated programs. I agree that we ought to make sure that >the programs that we need now or may need in the future will be there when we need >them. There also ought to be a review of administration and costs. > Bob Velez Shingle Creek Ward 4 > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls