So Walgreens, told by the State to take it or leave it on new Medicaid prescription reimbursement rates, told Delaware, No thanks . You can read the story with full liberal/progressive angst here , with reality completely dependent upon the self-serving DHSS press release: Walgreens Turns Its Back on Delaware’s Neediest Citizens Illinois-based company refuses to serve state’s Medicaid customers WILMINGTON – Refusing to share in the sacrifice necessary to help Delaware meet its historic budget challenge, Walgreens Pharmacies announced Thursday that it will no longer fill Medicaid prescriptions in the First State, according to the Department of Health and Social Services.... According to Alan Levin, the former CEO of Happy Harry’s who sold the Delaware-based chain to Walgreens in 2007 and is now the Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office, “the State’s offer was fair and reasonable and should allow pharmacies to make a reasonable profit.”... Walgreens, according to its rece...

I really need to showcase this response to my post about the bogus shared sacrifice idea behind Governor Jack Markell's across-the-board planned 10+% salary/benefits cuts for State employees: Anonymous: Sorry to post anon, but this one might bite me back unless I had plausible deniability. As RAM was leaving, a vacant position in my agency, one that had been vacant for 1 1/2 years got filled by someone on Minner's staff. Let me reiterate. WE DID WITHOUT THIS POSITION FOR 1 1/2 YEARS. AND NOW WE FILL IT? Luckily it is not a merit position, so it's possible that the position gets vacated anyhow. But this is one of those 120k positions. I've been busting my butt getting by without getting needed equipment, but this person comes in and blows a 120k per year salary? And you wonder why I'm annoyed at this 8% mess :) These stories are starting to come out of the woodwork all over Delaware. See, here's the problem: when everybody is getting by, and the State tosses yo...

It is truly fascinating to watch the reactions to Governor Jack Markell's shared pain budget, in which he cuts State salaries/benefits 10% across the board, setting the stage for potentially driving thousands of State employees into the category of working poor. Many of my favorite bloggers and commenters, however, have bought into both the bogus shared sacrifice and manufactured Us vs Them ideas: Dominque : Cry me an effing river. What a bunch of whiners. Do they have any idea how many people would give an arm for their jobs even with the 10% cut? I’m having a very difficult time feeling sorry for people who have gotten free health insurance having to contribute a little bit to it. The private sector has been paying about 10% of their salary to health insurance premiums all along and, while state wages tend to be lower than wages in the private sector, they work fewer days with their crazy state holidays (not to mention their offices close with the slightest dusting of snow) a...