Reader comments
State agencies all facing deep cuts as budget talks begin

Last year we had the two tiered flat tax, most people making less than $250,000.00 still paid the traditional tax calculation. But those in the upper income levels of our state, would have received nice reductions in the amount of state tax they had to pay. Just wondering did our legislators take that into account when they look at our budget deficit? They lowered the sale tax on food in 2007, then reduced it even more for 2008, do they know the actual amount that lost in those reductions.

whoever is releasing these "scare tactic" details should be fired. It would be easy to reduce state spending by miles...if they had outsiders come in and review spending.
Reduce the transportation spent on State Vehicles, do not purchase any cars, pay mileage to those who need to travel. Get rid of all the subsidies on public transportation. If you ride, you pay!
Get rid of state planes, pilots, etc.
Pay state employees better and reduce the number by 50%. They fewer will accomplish the same or more.

An unmentioned branch of government is the legislature. They have gown as much or more than the rest of government in the last few years. The legislature even hired a chief of staff. What are they going to cut out of their budget? Will they take their share? Maybe a factfinding trip to the orient could be foregone?

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!!" Cried Chicken Little, and yes this article seemed to miss the expected longer lines at the DMV. I suppose it is like when you are told that you have lost half of your investment but then later told that you only lost 25 percent, you may actually feel good about how things turned out. This looks like an attempt to lower expectations so that citizens will accept the cuts that are actually necessary.

My suggestion would be to stiffen the employment laws against illegal aliens, and save jobs that Utahns may need later. There will be no tax loss because many of them are paid under the table anyway. Also if they leave and return to their country of origin taking their children with them, it would save millions in education and medical costs. The only ones that might suffer would be the cheap labor employers that use them in order to depress wages.

If our legislature is serious about cutting 15% out ouf the state budget, then let them be the leaders they claim to be, and start with themselves. Let's see a 15% cut, across the board, for the legislative branch. That means a cut in pay, food allowance, transportation allowance, etc. They have to cut 15% of the their paid employees. Come on, legislators, show us the money!

Cut the legislature's raise that they voted to give themselves.

Yes it is important to cap the earnings potential of our citizens. Remember, this is the United States of America. The land where you are free to become anything you want - as long as you only want to be mediocre. We need to make sure that no one in our country excels too much before we yank them back down.

Why do our elected officials always go after public safety to cut budgets. The highway patrol and corrections are seriously understaffed right now, let alone, cutting more jobs. Cut Utah's population and interstate traffic, before cutting public safety. It is very incompetent to cut public safety.

Cut the Governors staff, state legistlators, parks and recreation, tourism budgets, eliminate state liqiour stores, historical budgets, DFS and things like those, that are counter-productive to our state. Take away all medical to prisoners, illegal aliens as well as housing subsidizes. No free rides! Raise fines and taxes on DUI, cigarettes, booze. Then, you can say you TRIED to drop spending, Not until!

Maybe we can save a few hundred thousand (millions?) by not providing free services for illegals. No driver's licenses means we need fewer people there. No free college for illegals can go along with the cuts in staff. Lots of areas where we can save some money.

It is time for the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch to sit down and starting working together. The Governor has proposed a 7% cut but the Legislative Leaders want to more than double the cut. "Cut for the sake of cutting." It does not make for good public policy in these tough economic times for grand standing.

Our state representatives need to serious look at the Governor's plan of using one time rainy day fund and a smaller cuts. Then worked together on the following year's plan.

Otherwise, we will all suffer needlessly from poor admistration of the public trust.

It is easy to do this. Stop giving illegal aliens food stamps, housing, re-structure medical services to make them accountable for paying their bills, stop educating their kids.

Has there been any research done on the costs of providing illegal residents this services. I know this would cut more than 15% in public education costs.

But it is probably better to cut jobs of legal residents??????

Once again our legislature is making things harder than they need be!

Cut the salaries of EVERYONE who makes over 100,000 per year down to that amount.

Do whatever it takes so that we don't have to pay for education for illegals.

No one has any problem with state employees making a living wage, what we do have a problem with is people BECOMING WEALTHY while working for the state.
If the high paid bureaucrats CAN find work in the private sector, LET THEM DO IT. Over the years the salaries at the top end have gotten WAY OUT OF CONTROL.

Just like the legislature to cut UHP (who make money for us), cut programs for elderly, increase class sizes, while holding harmless dept. heads that make 150,000 per year!

Contact your legislator, and ask him/her why so many folks at state gov't make WAY MORE than 100,000 per year.

The Legislature wants to save money well let's see them put their money where their mouth is: 1. Cancel their raise 2. Cut their state health care and they can use their own private health care 3. They are all such dedicated public servants they don't need their retirement as they leave the legislature. They should join the average citizen instead of sitting in their elite club.

Why don't they start with eliminating the 5% pay raise all state employees received in July of 2008? Maybe then no one would have to be laid off.

To be accurate, the Legislative branch has grown much slower than the rest of state government over the last 20 years.

Furthermore, in the September Special Session, the Legislature did reject the pay increase that was scheduled to go in effect and they have included themselves in the 15% cuts.

In addition, the National Conference of State Legislatures rated Utah as the smallest staff per capita of any legislature in the nation.

Eliminate double-dippers in state employment. Meaning, if you are already "retired" as a state government worker, you cannot collect a state employee retirement benefit and still remain employed in a position with a state agency. Also, get rid of all those government workers that are over their 30 years.

Let's start cutting the budget by paying Coach Whittingham $1.2 million a year.

Lets cancel the legislature for the next year or 2. Really, what good do they accomplish anyway?

Maybe, just maybe we could look at repealing the tax exemtptions given to large corporations. These are nvere mentioned or dicussed as a way to overcome the short fall.

Maybe the legisalture could stop scoffing when the idea of taxing services comes up.

Just a few ideas that will never see the light of day in the legisalture.

Let's cut the amount of legislator in half. Who need more than a hundred of them anyway.