Dear Source,
There is uproar in the community over the 24th Legislature action of passing a bill increasing the compensation for members of the executive and legislative branches of government, particularly during this period of economic crisis in our community and our nation as a whole. It is not only the act increasing salaries, but also the amount of the increases. Many persons consider this alone to be obscene.
I believe that these politicians suffer from some kind of a complex. Since I am a lay person and not a specialist in the behavioral sciences, I will venture only to describe my analysis of their behavior. I have written previously on the topic of lack of humility in these elected representatives. I understand that in every society or group, there will be a mix of varying personalities. What concerns me most is the percentage of what I will describe as negative behavior and/or attitude assumed by these politicians.
After being elected, they change from being attentive, sympathetic and even loving individuals to being conceited, aloof and sometimes even arrogant. When sought out, they avoid many constituents and situations that may fall within their purview. Ironically, these politicians now claim they deserve more compensation for the work they are doing – work that they are statutorily required to do.
This article is to suggest ways of reducing the cost of our government and making it more efficient.
First, I believe we as citizens should promote the reinstitution of the government personnel merit system, which we allowed the various unions to decimate. We can adopt the federal government merit system that has grades for each job and awards promotions on a competitive basis. That alone would check spiraling personnel costs, the largest expenditure in the government budget.
Unions should not dictate how the government should be administered or how much public servants should be paid; that is the job of elected and appointed officials. Unions of civil servants are solely to protect the rights of their members by promoting their welfare with regard to working conditions and fairness in the management of personnel.
Second, we need to reduce the cost of the government fleet of vehicles. The cost of the fleet is exorbitant, and its maintenance is defective. To reduce the costs, we could facilitate the personal purchase of private, non-specialized vehicles by those civil servants whose jobs require the use of a vehicle. Allowances could be made for tax deductions and/or reimbursement of expenses incurred while using their vehicles on government business. Considerations could include exemption from the road tax and guarantee of a loan to purchase the vehicle. The government could maintain a well-run motor pool for back up while reducing the need to monitor so many vehicles.
Third, salary increases for elected representatives and cabinet members in the executive branch should be decided by way of a binding referendum. The people elect these officials, and they should also decide on their compensation.
The Citizens Coalition for Better Government will be circulating a petition to address salary increases for elected representatives. We hope citizens who are displeased over the current state of affairs will support the initiative.
J.J. Estemac
St. Thomas
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