Comment: The county worker featured in this story apparently is unhappy that tax revenues are not enough to keep paying his entire salary. But, he clearly thinks taxes are already too high because that's why he moved out of the county. Where does he think money to stop furloughs and layoffs will come from? Does he expect the "little people or ... middle income" residents who remained behind to pay the higher taxes he decided to avoid. He may be a victim of the county's economic woes, but he is also part of the problem.
County workers protest furloughs, layoffs; Contract negotiations reach impasse.
Gazette,
18 Jun 2009 (McKeever & Valentine).
Donald Brown, who has worked for 20 years for the Prince George's County Department of Transportation, is about to face his second round of furloughs. With four children to care for, Brown isn't sure whether he or his coworkers can handle another 10 days of unpaid leave.
"It affects mortgage payments, daycare and car payments," he said. "This is money we count on."
Brown, along with 50 members of a local labor union, rallied June 10 outside the County Administration Building protesting the Prince George's County plan to lay off 55 people starting July 1.
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Brown said he had lived in Prince George's all his life and owned a home in Morningside but was forced to move his family to Charles County last year, due to increasing taxes.
"The county isn't looking out for the little people or those in the middle income," he said. "We were pushed out of the county."
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(Posted 18 Jun 2009)
