The Washington Post reports on cuts proposed in the budget in Montgomery County, Maryland.

The proposed budget cuts in Montgomery, which require county approval, reflect not just the recession but also decisions made by officials over many years. Salaries and benefits have risen sharply over the past decade. “There is pain in this budget, for our county and for our county employees,” Leggett told subdued county employees and others gathered in a Rockville auditorium Monday. The total budget is down 3.8 percent. “There are some things we will do differently, and some things we will not do at all.”

Historically, the public employee unions have owned this state. Until I see a “teacher-approved” candidate lose, I assume that the public employee unions still own the state. My guess is that the proposed cuts do not do nearly enough to reduce salary and benefits for “teachers” (probably half of the teachers’ union members never set foot in a classroom under our featherbedding system) and other overpaid county workers. And my guess is that when deciding which cuts to approve the County will try to maximize the impact on services while minimizing the impact on employees.