Community Pulse: Belt Tightening

June 30, 2009

The economic situation has forced Governor John deJongh, Jr. to tighten the financial belt of government spending for 2010. To that end, he has submitted a proposed fiscal 2010 budget that includes eight unpaid holidays for government employees but contains no salary or benefit cuts for members of the executive or legislative branches of the government or other exempt government employees.

Should non-exempt government employees forfeit eight paid holidays to help “tighten our belt” if other government employees are not asked to sacrifice any salary or benefits?

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8 Responses to “ Community Pulse: Belt Tightening ”

  1. And the beat goes on.... on July 1, 2009 at 12:07 am

    Their is entirely too much waste in this Government. A good starting point should have been the elimination of cell phones and cutting the issuance of gas receipts to the various departments in half. Another aspect is the fact that our government is making the owners of Seaborne Airlines billionaires. The traveling needs to be cut by a minimum of 75%. In this day of modern technology, there is no reason that a department fly their staff over to participate in “weekly staff meetings.” This is just the tip of the iceberg!

  2. Bull Foot Soup on July 1, 2009 at 9:41 am

    Belt-tightening, like proper child rearing, starts at home and trickles up.

    The VI Government could certainly use some fat trimming, but you know the party line: NIMBY. So where do you start?

  3. Don't Get It on July 2, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    Why is the government always trying to balance the budget on poor people’s back? Why don’t the governor cut his salary and all the senators who are not doing anything but fighting with each other. Things are already so had with the salaries we are making. What is going to happen when we are not paid for these holidays? Some of us may end up on welfare, our houses will be taken away and we will not be able to send our children to college. Govenor please have a heart.

  4. Anonymous on July 6, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    my comncern is the environment. what happened to country life? St. Thomas there’s no country , Where arethe

  5. Anonymous on July 6, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    What the hell is going on between the Governor and the owners of Coral World? It seems that they are creating ‘Havoc” at Coki Beach just so they can develop “Thatch Key”. Governor, we do not want a “concrete” jungle. Do you know how nice it is to look out and see the different keys without any house on them. LEAVE OUR KEYS ONTOUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. anonymous on July 10, 2009 at 12:17 pm

    with pistakle like that, together we definitely can’t

  7. anonymous on July 10, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    By the way, doesn’t the Gov has shares in Coral World?

  8. T on July 29, 2009 at 12:03 pm

    Governor, you keep talking about we should tighten our belts. Why can’t you and the senate do the same.