Economy spirals, government spends

Our economy lost another 51,000 jobs in July, making for seven straight months of job losses and a total lost of 463,000 for this year.

Unemployment went up to 5.7 percent from 5.5 percent. All this happened in spite of more job gains in government and education. (Associated Press/Daily Herald, Aug. 2).

While the private sector has shed all these jobs, government jobs increased by 264,000 from June '07 to June '08. These public sector jobs were plus 165,000 in local jobs, plus 77,000 at the state level, and plus 22,000 at the federal level. (Bureau of Labor Stats/U.S.A. Today, July 30).

The private sector continues to trim budgets, cut back on benefits, lay off people, curtail expansion plans while the public sector spends three times as fast as revenue.

State and local governments spent 7.8 percent more in the second quarter of '08 vs. '07. At the state level, revenue increased by only 2.5 percent.

The above facts are outrageous. With all the problems facing private industry and the small business employer, you would think that the public sector, those paid by tax dollars, would also feel some of the pain.

All budgets and expenditures can be and should be trimmed. There should be no room for 4 percent to 10 percent automatic increases year after year. This applies to education, state, county and federal.

Get real!

Robert Kennedy

Palatine