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A fairer and more effective solution
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Posted on Mar 09 2006
The governor’s plan to cut the work hours and pay of some government employees while exempting others is not only unfair but it is also an ineffective use of a policy response to the CNMI’s current financial situation.
It is unfair because it targets some while exempting others. This implies that some government employees are more important than others, which is not true. All government employees are equally important to the operation of society. It also implies that the family members of exempted government employees are more important than the family members of those employees targeted for pay cuts. Why should some families suffer with lower incomes while others don’t? Across the board cuts for all government employees is the only fair way to do this.
The governor’s plan is also an ineffective use of a policy response. If the governor wants to save a lot of money in the shortest possible period of time and get us through the financial mess that we’re in, it would be much more effective to cut the hours and the pay of all government employees. Imagine how much more money would be saved and how much faster it could be saved if all government employees received cuts and equally shared the burden.
If the governor applied cuts equally across the board it would be fair to everyone and it would solve our financial problem faster. As it is, the unfortunate government employees and their families who are receiving a cut in their income will now have to bear the unfair burden for a longer period of time just so the “privileged” government employees and their families can have the benefit of full paychecks every two weeks. This type of uneven application of a policy response can only have a divisive impact on society because of the resentments it will cause between those whose pay is being cut and those who are exempted from the cuts. It will also certainly have political repercussions.
Robert Churney
Koblerville, Saipan
