Beloit Daily News Editorial Board Advocates a Race to the Bottom

Another place to find savings. (Beloit Daily News, 11/7/2011)

Excerpt:   It also should be noted that expensive benefit packages for part-time employees certainly are not limited to a handful of people at the library. In fact, it is not unusual at all to find part-timers with full benefit packages in municipal government, counties and the public schools.

Eliminating such benefits - bringing government in line with common practices in the private sector - could save millions statewide. Millions that could be used to keep more teachers, firefighters and police officers on the job.

Likewise, making the kind of adjustments to government health insurance policies that are common in the private sector could save millions more. In businesses, employees typically pay a higher share of premiums, higher co-pays, higher deductibles and higher out-of-pocket maximums. Phasing in some of these changes would reduce benefit costs and ease layoff pressures.

Great idea.

Let the private sector lead the way