This afternoon, I recieved the following email from my governor, Beverly "Bev" Perdue:
Consolidation Message to State Employees
My fellow state employees:
Last week I attended a ceremony recognizing ten state employees for exceptional service above and beyond what their jobs require. I wish there were more opportunities for that kind of well-earned praise.
I congratulated ten of you last week, but the truth is, you all deserve more recognition for the job you do.
You are this state’s most valuable resource.
That is why, today, as I announce a significant change in how I want to see our state government work, I am reaching out to you.
You deserve to learn directly from me about my plans to restructure state government, because it will affect you and because, ultimately, I can’t do it without you.
We will take the economic difficulties facing us and forge them into opportunity. Our economy has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, as have our methods of communicating and our ways of doing business. In that time, state government has largely stayed the same.
The times we are in call for reshaping, reinvention and innovation. We must tear down the parts of bureaucracy that don’t work and rebuild a state government that focuses on our core priorities.
To me, those core priorities are clear: jobs, investing in our children’s education and safer and healthier communities.
But as part of the system you know how challenging it will be to whittle away all the rest. That won’t stop us, though, as we work together to set government straight.
Here are more details about my proposal: www.setgovernmentstraight.nc.gov.
Organizations will be streamlined. Core services will be prioritized.
Many divisions, programs and sections will no longer exist as we know them.
Some state agencies will disappear.
We will create a leaner, more nimble state government. As we do that, our ranks will be thinned. I know that is a troubling thought for you. Let me assure you – my focus is on efficiencies, priorities and cost savings. My targets are inefficient policies, redundant programs and overlapping office functions. I will work hard with you to ensure North Carolina has a strong state employee workforce.
Decades from now we must be able to look back at this global recession and say: We did it. We made the tough choices, we protected core priorities and we did what we had to do. North Carolina, our people, and especially our children, will be better off for it.
Thank you,
Bev
Well, hello 'Bev.' I remember shaking your hand as a young Legislative Assistant in the General Assembly, telling you that I felt honored to be shaking the hand of the next Governor of the great state of North Carolina.
But I'm no longer honored. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand, 'Bev,' that you're the governor of a state that is heavily in debt during a devastating economic recession. I understand, 'Bev,' that hard choices must be made. I also understand, 'Bev,' that you probably didn't personally write this email...I'm fairly sure it was written by a staffer who may have been well intentioned, but certainly failed horribly.
Whoever told you it was a good idea to step down from your ivory tower long enough to have an aide tell us how you're going to fire a lot of us RIGHT before Christmas was a freaking moron. You don't say, "I know that is a troubling thought for you," unless you're ready to provide some comfort. And you damn sure don't drop this kind of news less than 20 days before Christmas! This is the kind of horrible news you share AFTER Christmas, so at least the families of public servants can enjoy the holiday season!
Somehow, 'Bev,' I don't believe you understand anything about the lowly public servants who work for you. Most of us aren't wealthy, most of us work for significantly less than we would if we were doing the same job in the public sector. We've never been wined and dined by lobbyists and brown-nosers. We are the people who work hard so we can afford YOU that lifestyle. You're not suffering pay cuts, you're not dealing with expanded work duties because the funding has been cut so much that you're now doing the job that it used to take 3 people to complete...for the SAME money.
You aren't having to tighten the belts, you're not having to rely on the kindness of others to provide a decent Christmas for your children. So spare me your condescending bullshit. When you have to give up on paying off a credit card because you want to make sure your family eats, THEN you can talk to me about how NIMBLE the new government will be. When you have to sell cherished possessions on Ebay just so you can afford to keep a roof over your family's head, THEN you can tell me about how much you understand why your "fellow state employees" are so worried about the future.
Get your head out of your ass and have the decency to wait until AFTER Christmas to ruin our day, Bev. Or just shut the hell up, and go back to the ivory tower our tax dollars pay for.
Sincerely,
Chardon Murray, on behalf of the thousands of other folks who have supported you since you started working in the public sector, and who now worry about their futures as you plan for your new "nimble" government.
Consolidation Message to State Employees
My fellow state employees:
Last week I attended a ceremony recognizing ten state employees for exceptional service above and beyond what their jobs require. I wish there were more opportunities for that kind of well-earned praise.
I congratulated ten of you last week, but the truth is, you all deserve more recognition for the job you do.
You are this state’s most valuable resource.
That is why, today, as I announce a significant change in how I want to see our state government work, I am reaching out to you.
You deserve to learn directly from me about my plans to restructure state government, because it will affect you and because, ultimately, I can’t do it without you.
We will take the economic difficulties facing us and forge them into opportunity. Our economy has changed dramatically over the last 30 years, as have our methods of communicating and our ways of doing business. In that time, state government has largely stayed the same.
The times we are in call for reshaping, reinvention and innovation. We must tear down the parts of bureaucracy that don’t work and rebuild a state government that focuses on our core priorities.
To me, those core priorities are clear: jobs, investing in our children’s education and safer and healthier communities.
But as part of the system you know how challenging it will be to whittle away all the rest. That won’t stop us, though, as we work together to set government straight.
Here are more details about my proposal: www.setgovernmentstraight.nc.gov.
Organizations will be streamlined. Core services will be prioritized.
Many divisions, programs and sections will no longer exist as we know them.
Some state agencies will disappear.
We will create a leaner, more nimble state government. As we do that, our ranks will be thinned. I know that is a troubling thought for you. Let me assure you – my focus is on efficiencies, priorities and cost savings. My targets are inefficient policies, redundant programs and overlapping office functions. I will work hard with you to ensure North Carolina has a strong state employee workforce.
Decades from now we must be able to look back at this global recession and say: We did it. We made the tough choices, we protected core priorities and we did what we had to do. North Carolina, our people, and especially our children, will be better off for it.
Thank you,
Bev
Well, hello 'Bev.' I remember shaking your hand as a young Legislative Assistant in the General Assembly, telling you that I felt honored to be shaking the hand of the next Governor of the great state of North Carolina.
But I'm no longer honored. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand, 'Bev,' that you're the governor of a state that is heavily in debt during a devastating economic recession. I understand, 'Bev,' that hard choices must be made. I also understand, 'Bev,' that you probably didn't personally write this email...I'm fairly sure it was written by a staffer who may have been well intentioned, but certainly failed horribly.
Whoever told you it was a good idea to step down from your ivory tower long enough to have an aide tell us how you're going to fire a lot of us RIGHT before Christmas was a freaking moron. You don't say, "I know that is a troubling thought for you," unless you're ready to provide some comfort. And you damn sure don't drop this kind of news less than 20 days before Christmas! This is the kind of horrible news you share AFTER Christmas, so at least the families of public servants can enjoy the holiday season!
Somehow, 'Bev,' I don't believe you understand anything about the lowly public servants who work for you. Most of us aren't wealthy, most of us work for significantly less than we would if we were doing the same job in the public sector. We've never been wined and dined by lobbyists and brown-nosers. We are the people who work hard so we can afford YOU that lifestyle. You're not suffering pay cuts, you're not dealing with expanded work duties because the funding has been cut so much that you're now doing the job that it used to take 3 people to complete...for the SAME money.
You aren't having to tighten the belts, you're not having to rely on the kindness of others to provide a decent Christmas for your children. So spare me your condescending bullshit. When you have to give up on paying off a credit card because you want to make sure your family eats, THEN you can talk to me about how NIMBLE the new government will be. When you have to sell cherished possessions on Ebay just so you can afford to keep a roof over your family's head, THEN you can tell me about how much you understand why your "fellow state employees" are so worried about the future.
Get your head out of your ass and have the decency to wait until AFTER Christmas to ruin our day, Bev. Or just shut the hell up, and go back to the ivory tower our tax dollars pay for.
Sincerely,
Chardon Murray, on behalf of the thousands of other folks who have supported you since you started working in the public sector, and who now worry about their futures as you plan for your new "nimble" government.
1 comments:
Well, hello 'Bev.' I remember shaking your hand as a young Legislative Assistant in the General Assembly, telling you that I felt honored to be shaking the hand of the next Governor of the great state of North Carolina.
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