I want to pick up where Wayne Long was going with this.
This is my first time as an elected politician. I've always been in the business field, and how we treat our employees really determines the productivity that we get back. If we mistreat them, if we disrespect them, there are so many different ways they can come back and slow down the wheels of government.
You mentioned in the beginning the sick leave and the $900 million the government said it would save. According a report by the PBO in July 2014, sick leave costs almost nothing—this is right from the PBO—since most positions outside those dealing with health and safety don't backfill those absent. The report said that, “Since most departments do not call in replacements when an employee takes a sick day, there are no incremental costs.”
Banked sick leave cannot be cashed out when a public servant retires. The sick leave they have accumulated is eliminated upon retirement at no cost to the taxpayer.
Therefore, when you look at this $900 million, it's a bit of a red herring. It misrepresents the system. Why would they do this? This is what I can't understand. Why would they arbitrarily take something away from the people who are the backstop of any government? Why would they take that away and do something that's so mean-spirited? I don't understand the reason behind it or what gain we get out of it. Can you try to elaborate on that a little bit more?