OPEN LETTER TO INEPT IOWA POLITICIANS

Greetings House Speaker Kraig Paulsen and Senate Majority Leader, Mike Gronstal 

The Marshalltown Times article farther below reports a high level layoff at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.  Commandant David Worley did what he had to do, without whining or screaming, such as would come from the ISEA teacher’s union if Iowa teachers weren’t given huge pay raises—for their continuing failures to improve student achievement. 

Disgustingly, the evil teacher pay raises are granted by both of you and Governor Branstad, shown far down in the following operating efficiency table.   Shame on all of you, and Mark Smith, for throwing MORE money at highly wasteful Iowa public schools, while cutting the much more efficiently operated and much better managed, Iowa Veterans Home!! 

Your mission must be to screw the vets and the kids, and worship the evil ISEA teacher’s union—as Iowa’s larger newspapers nod in blind agreement. 

WASTE PAYS IN IOWA—due to pathetic state government management and ineffective newspapers!!  Where is the outrage??!!

EFFICIENTLY OPERATED IOWA VETERANS HOME IS FORCED TO CUT STAFF, WHILE INEFFICIENT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND POOR TEACHERS GET MORE MONEY, FROM INEPT POLITICIANS!!

Where is the Tea Party when it is so desperately needed!!  You must help throw the bums out of office!!

Sincerely,

Iowalive             A growing network of volunteer citizens and professionals for improving Iowa.

Iowa Veterans Home announces layoff, others may follow

August 19, 2011

By MIKE MALLOY - Staff Writer (mmalloy@timesrepublican.com) , Times-Republican

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The Iowa Veterans Home announced Thursday it would lay off one high-level employee, and that further staff reductions are being considered.

Public Relations and Marketing Director and Legislative Liaison Lisa Purvis wrote in an email to local media outlets that the care facility, "Has prepared a layoff plan and my position was among those that will be eliminated."

Purvis added that termination was immediately effective.

Commandant David Worley, though, said there would be only one layoff, "For now."

"We have to streamline our operations," Worley said. "We're reviewing positions that we feel we maybe could survive without."

Worley said he may act as legislative liaison but has not decided how to address Purvis' other duties.

Worley said the move was a response to a drop in funding.

"Our general fund budget is less than it has been in years," Worley said. "In the interest of the taxpayers, I've got to make the best decisions I can ... I've got to make sure every employee is a fully effective employee and that money we're paying for that position we can continue to afford to pay."

Worley said the facility is funded based on the number of residents, which has dropped by about 50 in the past year. Worley said because of the downturn in the economy many families are opting to care for veterans themselves until the veteran's health had declined significantly. That means the needs of incoming patients are "intense," Worley said, and require significant financial resources that, because of the drop in residents, the facility does not have.

Worley did not say when a decision on further staff reductions would be announced.

"We're going to review all of our positions," Worley said. "We want to keep everybody we can, we never want to lay off anybody, but you have to make tough decisions."

State Representative Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, was saddened by the news and said it amplifies concerns he had during this year's budget fight about the level of funding for the facility.

Smith felt that Gov. Terry Branstad's initial proposal to fund the Veterans Home was, "Conservative but workable", but that the Republican-controlled House eventually agreed on a smaller amount.

Given the budget constraints, Smith said he expected staff reductions. "The focus needs to be on providing care," Smith said.

An amendment Smith made to restore funding to the Branstad level was defeated.