Early actions indicate costly ride

To the editor:

If the first two days of the Blunt administration are any indication, state employees and taxpayers are in for a long, tedious and costly ride.

It is a frequent cry among politicians, especially Republicans, that government should be run more like a business. What $20 billion dollar business that is so dependent on the federal government for funding would cut its lobbying office in Washington, D.C., without a review? How much will Missouri lose in the federal legislative process by closing its business office in Washington?

While state employees may have a different status because they work for the public, their desire for equitable pay and benefits are not any different than private-sector employees. There is a strong myth among private employers that state employees are less productive and less industrious than those in the private sector. I've conducted business with private companies that have inefficient and bureaucratic employees and policies that rival anything state government could imagine.

When the new governor says state employees are different than private employees, he is reinforcing this myth. The difference is that state employees are undercompensated and frequently lack the resources necessary to conduct business in the modern business world. So cut the purchase of cell phones and automobiles and ensure that state workers cannot be as productive as their private-sector counterparts, and the myth of public versus private employees will continue.

Micromanaging the state budget with political motivations is going to change our governor's golden hair to gray in a short time.

TIM KNIEST, Jefferson City, Mo.