Kulo: What will he say this time?

We’re expecting at any time the revenue forecast from the state economist’s office for Q4. Revenue deficits are expected to be deeper than the $3.00 billion or $3.8 billion that officials have been floating.  Much lower. In fact people I know who have seen the numbers believe the revenue forecast will be about $5 billion lower than what Oregon needs to pay its bills. So much for the windfall from Measures 66 & 67.
In the recent “reset” Oregon commission report, committee members said it was due to unsustainable levels of service (i.e. spending) causing Oregon revenue to go backward not forward. Quote, ” Current Service Levels Are No Longer Sustainable.”
Chief among the culprits is the expensive work force we have on the government rolls. That’s right, government workers who pay nothing toward nearly all of their benefits. Taxpayers pay their PERS contribution AND MATCH and health care benefits at $1200 per employee per month. Now, with the news we discussed earlier this week on the program (The Victoria Taft Show on KPAM 860) about Oregon’s own triple witching numbers:

• the rate of population growth in Oregon is slowing to 1980 recession levels (here)
• high unemployment levels(here)
• revenue hole

you have to ask yourself these questions: who is going to pay for all this and isn’t it time that the greedy public employee union chieftans fell on the sword for the sake of the fiscal future of Oregon?
Look at these numbers from the state’s ‘reset commission’ and ask yourself what sacrifices public employee union chiefs are making to bring down the long term costs of public employees?