Furlough Friday coming back

[Seeb]

Things always get sidetracked here with stoner philosophy.

During a heath crisis the governor wants to cut heathcare. What can be done about it?

[ironyak]

Things always get sidetracked here with stoner philosophy.

Swift and Orwell are stoner philosophy... um ok, man...

What do you want to do about it - got $1.5 billion to spare? Going to fly to Oahu and hold a Lansing-style protest? HSTA and HGEA have 55,000+ members - you no think they're on this? There are calls to dip into the $1 billion rainy day fund and hold out to see if the next Fed package will help fill the gap (the Governor's Association is asking for $500 billion as all the states are basically broke)

To answer terracore - Ige has said that he and his cabinet will take a similar pay cut. That's not all the swine at the trough, but some animals are more equal than others (have another hit...)

But if you have a bright idea to fix the Great Depression Redux, please do share - plenty of "muscles aching to work, minds aching to create."

[randomq]

Legalize gambling, recreational marijuana, and prostitution. Maintain a strict lockdown until Covid-19 is completely eradicated here. Then market Hawaii as the only safe destination for the world's rich and famous. Aggressive testing before and after all flights in.

Now pass that joint!

[kalakoa]

Legalize gambling, recreational marijuana, and prostitution.

Fire the old square lawmakers who think it's a bad idea, or they'll have all that revenue spent.

Consider: salaries+benefits = 80% of the State budget. How do they have any money left for materials? No wonder it's always "a bunch of guys standing around". We can do better.

[Chunkster]

The unions are howling loudly in the press and their supporters in the legislature are joining in to try to stop Ige. As one rare honest legislator noted, however, the state constitution gives the governor the unilateral power to do this in an emergency. Whether that gutless wonder has the courage to actually enact it remains to be seen. One thing that has struck me about Ige's nascent plan as described so far is that it isn't a furlough like Lingle's response to the Great Recession. It is a pay cut for the same amount of work, so services, such as they are, would still be provided at a lower rate of pay. While it's tempting to say that we might finally be getting our money's worth, we all know we won't, unless a years long depression forces an efficiency based downsizing of the state and local governments. For that to happen, the political culture would have to change radically to avoid continued bloat at every one else's expense.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Legalize gambling....

We already have!
Hawaii has two official gambling days this year, which, like Vegas, start off with a sense of great anticipation and seemingly endless choices on which you can roll the dice, spin the wheel, and hedge your bets.

The first is called the Primary Election on August 8, 2020. BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! Then we get a second shot to WIN BIG! in the General Election on November 3, 2020.

Of course you almost never win, and inevitably it ends in disappointment just like Vegas,. Fortunately, when you gamble in Hawaii you can pay your loses over time in payroll deductions, quarterly tax payments, semiannual real estate taxes, even when you buy gas, food, almost everything!

What you earn in Hawaii, stays in Hawaii!

[ironyak]

Chunkster - One thing that has struck me about Ige's nascent plan as described so far is that it isn't a furlough like Lingle's response to the Great Recession. It is a pay cut for the same amount of work, so services, such as they are, would still be provided at a lower rate of pay.

Do you have source that says this directly as everything I've seen says it is still unclear how it would be implemented (if at all - using Emergency powers to break contracts may appear legal now but will be strongly challenged in the courts)

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/04/1...-pushback/

[kalakoa]

it is still unclear how it would be implemented

That's just Ige moving his mouth to make sounds.

using Emergency powers to break contracts may appear legal

Ige should backtrack on the 20% payroll cut and suggest, instead, tax increases to create 25% additional revenue. Triple car registration, raise the GET to 20%, see how people like that.

[Chunkster]

@ironyak: I've read seven news reports over two days, and none of them mention furloughs, only pay cuts. The first sentence of the link you provided says, "Gov. David Ige’s plan to impose 20% pay cuts for teachers and many other public workers quickly encountered resistance . . . " Anything (or nothing) could happen, but so far they are not talking in terms of a Lingle style Furlough Friday. Of course, Ige is known for being indecisive and for lacking courage, but hard realities are about to set in. He might actually have to do something.

[kalakoa]

He might actually have to do something.

If it's "too hard", Ige can always step down.