The 0.908 forced revision of the current contract is a political smoke screen. County officials already know they will have to ask for increases in rates and taxes. The numbers do not add up when you look at the deficit and the "estimated" savings the cuts might generate. I am all for hammering county employees when they don't perform, or are asking for more when everyone else is taking less. But that just isn't the case here. Recently the released salary listings showed that most county employees are making what $45,000 to $50,000 a year on average. If you aren't a top level manager, or county executive, you're not exactly getting rich and paying for vacations to Hawaii every year. Hell I paid more in taxes last year than that average, and I am a mid level local manager. Working in the private sector has huge advantages over civil service. Job security is about the only thing they have going for them and apparantly thats not even assured. I think we often forget that the stereotypes of the 70's and 80's do not apply anymore. Civil service is not sexy. Even in this economic downturn we are already seeing signs of improvement (I know we are at our firm), and when we are profiting, county employees will have to strike just to get back to where they are now, a point in time where we all want them to pay the wages of the housing market bust. County board members want us to feel that they have done everything in their power to rectify the mess they created, including punishing county employees first because we all know "Unions are the devil". When it was Unions of the past that created the extraordinary middle class we have now (which if we don't take care will shrink into nothingness). Before you jump on me, no, I am not a Union lover. I just realize that the history of our working class grew from the productive roots of organized labor. Todays unions are as much of a sham as our governments. What I am saying is look beyond the smokescreen and ask yourself this question. Should county employees, who are already subject to layoffs and cuts per their existing contract, be forced to pay the wages of our collective sins (ie...the housing and economic bubble)? The sad part is I fear that most of you out there would rather it be them than us. If they pay more then we won't mind a small rate or tax increase. We will vote back in those people responsible for not taking steps to protect county coffers in the first place. All because someone else was forced (and probably illegaly) to take the hit first or pay more.