By: Diane Benjamin
March 16: Normal hands out semi-annual Cost of Living pay increases based on national rates, not local. They claim the increases are to keep talent. https://blnnews.com/2020/03/17/normal-a-council-of-frauds/
Keep in mind corona virus was ramping up, ISU had already extended Spring Break. Pritzker had closed public schools.
Announced yesterday:
You are looking at the difference between people who take money and those that make money.
Caterpillar has to respond to reality to survive, Normal doesn’t. Normal knows where to get more money and the mostly compliant Council isn’t afraid to hand it to them.
Understand “limited government” yet?
The Council will be meeting on Monday. Will Normal admit they are in an “extremely challenging situation“? Without the ISU students and all business limited, how is tax revenue?
It will be interesting to see if Chris Koos and Pam Reece do business as usual.
.
.
.
.
.
Only in government are people given raises while the rest of the world is given pink slips.
I am sure they believe they are helping the economy by paying themselves more. They are helping themselves at the expense of everyone else.
It is clear that tax revenues are going to be taking a hit, yet we are not seeing any scale back in government spending or reduction in staff? Diane, your illustration between Caterpillar and the government is a great in that it shows the difference between survival in the private sector and government.
The BCPA has announced they are closed for the season, does that mean all BCPA employees have been laid off? If CAT has a plant shut-down do they lay off their employees?
The statues in front of the BCPA are now wearing masks though! Maybe I should post that adorable pic.
Pension earning government employees who are not working will not be laid off or go without pay. They will get paid for staying at home and not working. They will be given extra days off without sacrificing any of their vacation days. Government employees have nothing to lose. Public sector workers and the unemployed pay for all this. I am sure a Pam, and others like her, are insulted you wrote this story. I doubt they will understand how their spending effects us common folk.