Thoughts on NYS Budget and DOCS

[ithaca]

In my humble opinion I see the "budget crisis" affecting NYSDOCS as follows -

There may be a slow down in hiring but there can not be any long term freeze. No matter what the contract or economy situation, there will be retirements, which mean vacancies. These spots CAN NOT be left unfilled. Not filling these security vacancies will soon become a dangerous situation.

I watched the Gov. on TV yesterday (Wed 7/30) and while he did not mention NYSDOCS specifically, he stated that the state had to be very cautious when it came to cutting from public safety and emergency services.

The second area where I see this situation affecting NYSDOCS is your contract. Any judge MAY have a problem giving a big award or settlement in light of the financial situation. The positive part of this process is that the union is making a good point as far as the "unique" dangers and nature of the job.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck to all.

[DOCSatTheGunk]

In my humble opinion I see the "budget crisis" affecting NYSDOCS as follows -

There may be a slow down in hiring but there can not be any long term freeze. No matter what the contract or economy situation, there will be retirements, which mean vacancies. These spots CAN NOT be left unfilled. Not filling these security vacancies will soon become a dangerous situation.

I watched the Gov. on TV yesterday (Wed 7/30) and while he did not mention NYSDOCS specifically, he stated that the state had to be very cautious when it came to cutting from public safety and emergency services.

The second area where I see this situation affecting NYSDOCS is your contract. Any judge MAY have a problem giving a big award or settlement in light of the financial situation. The positive part of this process is that the union is making a good point as far as the "unique" dangers and nature of the job.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck to all.

dude, this is New York..If Gov. Patterson could get rid of all the COs and hire robots to do this job they would in a heartbeat.

[armyman12b]

I know how the state can save millions upon millions,,,, quit giving convicts all the sh*t they are ''entitled'' too..... I cant stand to hear the state or the governor bitch about $$$$$ , ny is a very liberal state where we shell out millions too those who dont want to work and tax those who do to pay for it... if it was not for my kids i would be long gone from ny,, still planning on it when my kids are a little older...

[DOCSatTheGunk]

I know how the state can save millions upon millions,,,, quit giving convicts all the sh*t they are ''entitled'' too..... I cant stand to hear the state or the governor bitch about $$$$$ , ny is a very liberal state where we shell out millions too those who dont want to work and tax those who do to pay for it... if it was not for my kids i would be long gone from ny,, still planning on it when my kids are a little older...

armyman, how do brother?? stay safe up there!

[Willard_DTC]

I cant stand to hear the state or the governor bitch about $$$$$ , ny is a very liberal state where we shell out millions too those who dont want to work and tax those who do to pay for it... if it was not for my kids i would be long gone from ny,, still planning on it when my kids are a little older...

Amen man...couldn't have said it better myself. Thank god I only have 6 years to go because this state sucks big hairy moose b*lls and I can't wait to wave good-bye as I cross the state line to someplace that doesn't try to tax me out of existance. I'm just plain sick and tired of stopping at the local convenience store and seeing generation welfare boot licking weasels buying beer and scratch tickets at my expense.

As for the state crying about the deficit maybe they should take a good hard look at the salaries of all the legislators who make more than I do and work a whole 3 to 4 months out of the year. Trimming down the Exec staffs at jails statewide would save them quite a bit too. No way does each jail need 3 deps and a Super to function. I could go on and on but all I will do is frustrate myself further.........

[ithaca]

I hear you guys loud and clear and completely understand. Having 25 years on the job (police) and working security PT in retirement now for a "human services" agency I see all too well the abuses of the system.....a liberal system. I see this (NYSDOCS) as a good opportunity for my son however, given that we both love this area and have strong family and friend ties. We love to hunt and fish and our area here in the fingerlakes is great. I have encouraged him to look beyond the BS and make the most of it otherwise it's move elsewhere or be miserable. He has seen the same stuff in the Army having done 2 tours in Iraq and seeing coworkers not pulling their weight and crap from the brass and politicians etc etc. He knows that there will be a lot of BS but at the end of the day (even though there may be some long ones) his time is his for the outdoors, family and friends etc. We have expensive hobbies and without a decent job there are no hobbies or hunting trips etc. He does not want to go to College and job opportunities are scarce, unless you want to work for McDonald's or something like that. All in all he sees (and I agree) NYSDOCS as a decent opportunity with a decent benefit package.
Hang in there you DOCS vets, your retirement date will be here before you know it. I promise, when it's over you'll wonder where the time went. I had a daily count on my calender for the year before I retired because I wanted out so badly. I'm glad I'm oui but I'm also glad that I stuck it out until retirement.
Good luck to the rookies and those waiting for appointment.
Just another 2 cents worth!

[armyman12b]

I hear you ithaca,, thats another reason i stay in this area/state is family,,, it is really just too bad that the state is driving people away,, my half brother is an accountant, he tried and tried to get a job here out of collage got one for 40grand a year 3 months later got a job offer from a place in arizona for over 100 grand and that was 4-5 yrs ago now......
It just turns my stomach how liberal this state really is,, as said b4 look at the mother paying in food stamps at the store and then dropping 100 bucks on lotto...................or the guy on 100% disability because he is too fat to work,, no joke I know of one personally tooo big to work so we pay him....... c'mon buy him a tread mill and say good luck............. welfare is out of control the more kids you have the more ny will pay you,,, try getting a job you no good peice of garbage................
my wife is about to take a state job with AG office but even with that 2 state jobs we may be better off moving in a few yrs,,, whats that say about ny................................

[Willard_DTC]

thats another reason i stay in this area/state is family................

I hear you. I was born and raised in Upstate NY and it's not the state itself I hate......I can honestly say I love this state...great people, 4 distinct seasons, scenery, etc. etc. etc....I could go on and on. It's the damn weasel politicians that run this state that make it such a crappy place to live and that will never change because no matter how much of a horses a*s a politician turns out to be we just keep on voting them back into office. Until they are held accountable for their actions by the voters nothing is ever gonna change and good people will keep on being forced to leave in search of greener pastures.

[VTHokie21]

It just turns my stomach how liberal this state really is,, as said b4 look at the mother paying in food stamps at the store and then dropping 100 bucks on lotto

You couldn't have said it better. Last year I worked part time at a grocery story to make a little extra cash because my full-time job doesn't pay well and I had a woman come through my line with a cart full of groceries (mostly boxes of cereal, I swear there were about 30 boxes of cereal) bragging about how she has 7 kids at home. Yup, the food was paid for with food stamps. THEN she wanted to buy a lighter and had to pay for it separate from the food stamps and she hands me a $100 bill. I was p***** off for the rest of the night...and I'm scraping by just trying to pay rent and my student loans. I would have healthy looking men come through my line who should probably be working but they'd be on food stamps and they'd buy steaks, lobster, crab legs and all other types of expensive meat. I don't even eat that well...I don't even remember the last time I bought a steak. It makes me sick.

[Willard_DTC]

You couldn't have said it better. Last year I worked part time at a grocery story to make a little extra cash because my full-time job doesn't pay well and I had a woman come through my line with a cart full of groceries (mostly boxes of cereal, I swear there were about 30 boxes of cereal) bragging about how she has 7 kids at home. Yup, the food was paid for with food stamps. THEN she wanted to buy a lighter and had to pay for it separate from the food stamps and she hands me a $100 bill. I was p***** off for the rest of the night...and I'm scraping by just trying to pay rent and my student loans. I would have healthy looking men come through my line who should probably be working but they'd be on food stamps and they'd buy steaks, lobster, crab legs and all other types of expensive meat. I don't even eat that well...I don't even remember the last time I bought a steak. It makes me sick.

Just remember...through YOUR hard work and the taxes YOU pay they can afford to lounge around at home.....have 14 kids and eat surf and turf every night.........

The saddest part about the whole situation is that there are many good people out there who deserve the help of welfare to get back on their feet and they can't get it because of the low life waste of good air that someone else could be breathing welfare defrauding scums. Do I sound bitter?....you bet your a*s I am.......

[Guest]

In my honest opinion, I say we abolish welfare altogether. If mom/pop with 9 kids falls on their a##, who cares? It is not my fault, nor is it my problem. Those 9 kids will have to grow up living a tough life, and in 18 years they can see a shrink and complain about how their mom and dad didn't care for them.

Welfare just creates more welfare recipients.....those kids are growing up learning the ins/outs of 'the system' and are realizing that they can just pop out some soon-to-be-felons and still live a high life of lobster tails and caviar just like their parents did. It is a never ending system.

It's probably why my wife witnesses the food stamps at work, comes home and wants a full-on dinner, and I tell her "What do I look like, a welfare recipient? You know we can't afford to eat that good. I work for NYS, I'm not supported by them. Maybe with our next contract, we can get some lobster and steaks!

[ithaca]

.............AND.....Most of the people who truly deserve public assistance don't stay on it, they work their way out of it. (The way the system is supposed to work.) The major exception being those unfortunate ones with serious/terminal illness w/o health insurance.
One of the biggest causes of frustration is seeing the "generational recipients" In my career here I am now seeing the grandchildren of career recipients/criminals traveling the exact same route as their grandparents.
All sorts of help and programming is being thrown at these people and they have absolutely no desire to change. It goes on and on.
Another problem is that many bad guys today don't mind being imprisoned and in fact there is some glamour or a type of "martyrdom" in it.
I started in Law Enforcement in 1978 and what a change since then. The regard for others and life in general has declined drastically and thus the streets and prisons are much more dangerous than ever.
Everyone "on the job" has to look out for one another and support one another to survive and stay sane.
The challenge for me when I was most burnt out was to try and distance or separate myself from the crap. I resigned myself to the fact that there was nothing I could do about and to do my job the best I could with what I was dealt and go home and live my life. Of course, this is easier said than done and was not a foolproof 100% cure for my frustration, but it did help.
I do think that this is probably harder for a CO than for a PO. I started out as a CO (Jailer in those days) for the local sheriff's dept and spent my first year in the jail. The lessons learned working in that jail were the foundation to what I feel was a very rewarding career. As a matter of fact, I attended the then mandatory 2 week basic course for local corrections officer at the NYSDOCS Academy before the state had even bought it. The facility was still being leased from the monastary.
Anyway, another 2 cents....................All of you hang in and good luck.

[naze69]

Maybe with our next contract, we can get some lobster and steaks![/QUOTE]
.
Well CO4 , I'm thinking we'll be resigned to cheap hamburger and fake lobster for dinner , while looking at a picture of actual surf & turf !

[ithaca]

my surf and turf is venison and perch!!

[naze69]

my surf and turf is venison and perch!!

I like walleye too . But , with the price of fuel going up , and the price of licenses , ammunition , etc., Even that can get expensive anymore . Steel shot for waterfowl is ridiculous . They got us comin and goin , even when we relax in the woods or field , or on the water . And the top 5 in the D.E.C. , are all makin 6 figures ! Go figure .