When cutting jobs is a good thing

Our View

When cutting jobs is a good thing

We got to hand it to Gov. Asa Hutchinson in the many initiatives he has taken to cut taxes, make state government more efficient, address the state’s unskilled workforce, develop steps for able-bodied Arkansans dependent upon government subsidies to take on more personal responsibility and make government more accountable.

It is always nice to know that there is an alternative to this tax and spend mentality that has created record deficits, record levels of social dependency, government inefficiency and unreasonable taxation.

For example, the other day we learned the number of filled positions in state executive branch agencies has declined by 795 to 25,733 between January 2015 and the end of March.

The Republican governor attributed the 3 percent decline in filled jobs largely to attrition, his executive order requiring agencies to get his approval before filling vacancies and an increased focus on efficiency.

While 3 percent doesn’t sound like much, the fact of the matter is that Hutchinson’s efforts to “trim the fat” sort of speak, is having results.

The salary savings alone are estimated at $7 million, tax dollars that certainly can be applied to areas of state government that better benefit the taxpayers, and we’re not talking about increased subsidies.

As Hutchinson pointed out during his recent announcement over the decline in state employees, this is a step in the right direction that is far from complete.

Between January 2015 and the end of March, the number of filled jobs declined by 267 to 2,271 at the Department of Health. Other declines in filled jobs at large agencies include a drop of 42 to 1,346 at the finance department’s Revenue Services Division, 41 to 4,077 at the state Department of Correction, 36 to 746 to the state Department of Workforce Services, 36 to 360 at the state Department of Education, and 32 to 345 at the state Department of Environmental Quality.

And, we’re told, those records don’t factor in the number of employees at agencies such as the state’s higher education institutions, the Highway and Transportation Department of the Game and Fish Commission, which don’t report directly to the governor.

Putting all this into perspective, let’s point out Hutchinson has proposed a $5.33 billion state general revenue budget for fiscal year 2017, which starts July 1. Now then, his proposed general revenue budget represents a $142.7 million increase over the fiscal year 2016 budget and factors in a nearly $101 million cut in individual income taxes from reductions proposed by Hutchinson and enacted by the 2015 Legislature.

So, this budget will go to serve 2.9 million Arkansans, over 260,000 of them labeled as “poor” and dependent upon government subsidies that go toward free or subsidized health care, food stamps, child care, housing and more.

Most of the state’s general revenue budget goes to public education, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and corrections. All this information is simply to give somewhat of an idea of how our tax dollars are spent and managed by those politicians we elect to run this state’s government.

BIBLE VERSE

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

John 5:1-6

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