The Argus leader has another State department asking for more money:
A $3,000 bump in starting pay is needed to stem a high turnover rate in the state's child protection staff, Social Services Secretary Deb Bowman says.
Bowman pitched the increase Friday to the Joint Appropriations Committee. The issue will be part of the committee's consideration during the rest of the 2008 session as it finalizes a budget for the next year.
The turnover rate among child protection workers is 30 percent, Bowman said."These are some of the toughest jobs in state government," she said. "We're dealing constantly with life-and-death situations. The turnover is hurting us badly."
Her proposal, which would affect 194 family service specialists in Social Services, would take the starting pay from $28,194 to $31,144.
The proposed 2009 budget for Social Services is $811,879,280, which is a $55 million increase from or 7.32% increase from 2008. Since 2003, Social Services budget has increased $255,484,038, nearly 46% while overall State General Appropriations increased 40%. Social Services is the largest State Department in regard to monetary size.
Of the $3.5 billion in proposes 2008 General Appropriations, $2 billion comes from the three largest departments…Social Services, Education, and the Board of Regents. The Board of Regents budget has increased $235 million or 62% since 2003. Education has increased %31 percent. And all three of these departments are lobbying for more. You would think a Republican Governor and a Republican legislature would be able to show some fiscal restraint. But this is the Republican agenda as reported in Friday’s Mitchell Daily Republic:
Republicans said they will work in the long term for economic development, increased research at South Dakota universities, the development of a proposed national underground lab at the closed Homestake Mine in Lead, and efforts to provide health insurance and medical care to more people.
"In the area of education, we wish to see continued improvement and a focus on math and science achievement in all levels of our education system," Rhoden said.
Knudson said he believes government’s most important role is to develop the economy so it can provide more jobs for young people.
"We as Republicans believe passionately in the free economy and its growth in South Dakota," Knudson said.
I hate to break the news to the Republican leadership, but economic growth through big government is not "the free economy". Unless of course you are talking about those who are getting the taxpayers’ money. Economic growth by expanding Higher Ed in the area of research so that we can obtain more federal grants is not free. The money comes from us taxpayers, unless we are deficit spending (which we are at the federal level)…meaning that some of the money is being laid on the backs of today’s children and future generations. Economic deveiopment in a "free-market" environoment means less governemtn and taxes. Economic development through government means some will prosper and some will lose.
What we see happening in South Dakota is a move to centralized control of the citizens from cradle to grave. Of the $3.5 billion State budget proposal, $1.4 billion is coming from the Feds. We have already lost control of education through FedEd, and the cradle is being targeted with the current Universal Pre-K SB26. Not only are parents losing control of their children through education, Social Services are also taking more and more control over children. There is a reversed relationship between bigger government and the freedom of its citizens. Either the Republican leadership doesn’t get it, or they are part of the agenda.
And the leadership of the Democrat Party is no better. Both Parties are pushing for more centralization of money and power. The Democrats want to do so in the name of Marxism and the welfare state, as the Republicans want to do so under the guise of "economic development" which we have now coined "plutocracy" or, if you will, reversed Marxism. In both scenarios, the middle class is getting fleeced as the poor remains poor and has difficulty reaching the middle class. But the biggest cost is our freedoms. Only those who have access to the ever increasing government who benefit.
So what can we do about it? Number one, is for the citizens to become more involved and taking seriously the concept of self-government. This goes beyond just voting. As I said, the choice between Republican and Democrat is no choice as both are increasing the size of government. The next step is increased transparency as to where the money is going. Since it is the taxpayers’ money, we should demand a searchable Internet based database that details who is getting the money and for what purpose.
We also need to reform education. If the Republicans truly believed in "the free economy", then they should allow competition to enter the education arena and give parent’s choices instead of dependence on a government run monopoly. We have to urge our Congressional delegation in Washington DC to not reauthorize NCLB and instead abolish the Federal Department of Education. Take half of the savings and reduce the debt so that we do not put more financial obligations on the children that are being educated. Take the other half and reduce Federal taxes on the citizens so that we can fund education locally. Those who have the money have the control. Right now, the Feds have too much control over the curriculums as they are using money to force state governments to adopt federal content standards as their state standards. We need to say…keep your money, we can take care of educating the children of South Dakota ourselves. And we do so in the name of freedom. In the end, I believe we can increase quality and decreases costs at the same time. Currently it takes more money to indoctrinate with the Feds transformational education than it did when the goal was academic excellent.
