07-02-2009, 02:59 PM
quote:No, it wasn't a sympathetic Judge; it was as many legislators (including allies of the Governor) warned the governor, an unconstitutional maneuver. The Judge ruling was an issue related to Hawaii's constitution and what the governor was planning to do.
Originally posted by macuu222
Both Lingle and the state attorney general felt sure the furloughs we're legal. Now I'm just wondering if even layoffs are legal and does Lingle and the Attorney general really know what they are doing. Or is this just a matter of the unions finding a sympathetic judge?
But there's something going on. Many legislators have said the governor’s fiscal plan is laden with misconceptions and that there are many cuts available that have not been addressed by the governor. Couple that with why she isn't going to the unions and saying we have a fiscal emergency, we need to do something, here's the proposal, which are you willing to do? She can place it all on the backs of the union to make the call between layoffs and furloughs. Doing that would put the unions in the position of having to make the tough call. But the negotiations would require the unions to be privy to the state’s finances. If as some legislators have said, the fiscal picture is being distorted by the governor and there’s' a lot of money being kept in the budget that could be cut, the unions will see that and may make it public. I suspect that she doesn't want the true budget picture to be known.