Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

June 1, 2009 By Fausta

The end of the batatita?

In Puerto Rico, a government job – which you got by being a member of the political party in power – where you don’t have to actually do any work, is called a batatita (batata being a sweet potato, batatita a small sweet potato).

Now it looks like the governor of Puerto Rico is aiming to cut back a lot of batatitas:
Puerto Rico slashes gov’t work force en masse

Puerto Rico fired nearly 8,000 government workers Friday, the start of a wave of layoffs aimed at closing a budget deficit as the island struggles through its third year of recession.

The first round included mostly temporary clerical workers in the education, treasury and health departments. Gov. Luis Fortuno has said he needs to cut 30,000 public sector jobs on an island where more than one-fifth of the people work for the local government.

The layoffs come as Puerto Rico faces an unemployment rate of nearly 15 percent, higher than anywhere on the U.S. mainland. Many fear the new job losses will ripple through the economy in the form of unpaid mortgages and failing businesses.
…
The layoffs were immediate for 4,000 workers, while the remaining will be dismissed by early July, according to Carlos Garcia, president of the island’s Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico.
…
Those affected will receive health insurance coverage for up to six months. They also can choose to receive $5,000 to go back to school or start a new business, or $2,500 for relocation costs, among other offers.

Fortuno announced the cuts in March, saying they would save about $2 billion a year and will affect about 14 percent of the public work force. Police officers and teachers are exempt.

“The problem is that we cannot afford to pay these people,” he said. “This is a difficult process, but the alternative was to increase sales tax, income taxes and other measures that would have affected even more people.”

About 2,500 government workers already have agreed to voluntary buyouts, which translates into $51.2 million in savings, according to the government.

Fortuno declared a fiscal emergency shortly after taking office in January.

He said the cuts are needed despite the government’s injection of $500 million into the economy earlier this year. Fortuno also has promised to reduce his $70,000 annual salary by 10 percent and that of his Cabinet officials by 5 percent over the next two years.

Puerto Rico has a bloated and well-established bureaucracy, which for decades has encumbered the economy.

Does this mean the end of the batatita? Probably not, but it’s a good start.

Share

Filed Under: politics, Puerto Rico Tagged With: Fausta's blog, Luis Fortuño

Comments

  1. WhoStruckJohn says

    June 1, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Call me a cynic, but how many of these job cuts are the batatita, and how many are the folk who actually do the work? Because where I live, the second category generally get cut before the first …

  2. ChicagoWayne says

    June 2, 2009 at 12:02 am

    Thank you, Fausta, for a very interesting post. I had no idea that Puerto Rico’s government suffers from what sounds like the same “political patronage” problem we have had, and still have, in Chicago.

    As I am always in search of areas of common interest between diverse cultures, countries, and societies, I guess I’m pleased that we share this one! Of course, it will be better when we share clean, honest governments instead.

  3. Leslie White says

    June 2, 2009 at 3:48 am

    In pre-Castro Cuba, what you describe being the batatita was called “una botella.” why this name, I do not know. It ended however, abruptly, when Castro seized power and teh government.

    Is there a lesson to be learned from this? Given the present government of the U.S., no.

    Why not. Ineptitude and incompetence rule the day.

    As we progess into the shadow of a real dictatorship under Obama, this may change.

  4. John says

    June 2, 2009 at 7:47 am

    Here in Panama we have a beautiful flower that only blooms for a couple of hours in the bright sunshine in the morning. Then the blossoms close. I asked my friend who runs a garden center what was the name of the flower. Her reply was they are called government employee flower…they will open up for a few hours in the morning and then shut down for the rest of the day.

  5. newton says

    June 3, 2009 at 12:55 am

    You know very well what’s going to happen with a lot of those workers that will be laid off.

    They will most likely end up… here, in the Mainland. To compete for jobs with the rest of the unemployed here.

    Decades of fiscal irresponsibility are not going to be erased overnight. Even el Gobernador Fortuño understands that.

Tweets by @Fausta
retirees_raise-2015_300x250

Pages

  • About
  • Email

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Previous Posts

  • Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • You need to unfriend me
  • Go ahead and Kiss the Girl, if you dare
  • Ashamed

Recent Comments

  • John on Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! – PoliticalWitchDoctor.com on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! - AmericanTruthToday on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Did Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Back Out At The Last Minute? on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Roseanne Not Back, Khan not Invited, Operaman’s back, Jobs back, Fausta’s back (but not here yet) Thoughts under the fedora – Da Tech Guy Blog on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?

Archives

  • 2019
    • December 2019
    • May 2019
    • January 2019
  • 2018
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
  • 2009
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
  • 2008
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
  • 2007
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
  • 2006
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
  • 2005
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • March 2005
    • February 2005
    • January 2005
  • 2004
    • December 2004
    • November 2004
    • October 2004
    • September 2004
    • August 2004
    • July 2004
    • June 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
Content Copyright Fausta's Blog

Site Developed and Managed by 300m.com