I have been an adjunct faculty member at Hudson Valley Community College for 10 years. Hopefully, the community understands HVCC has no choice but to cut adjunct hours as it cannot afford to pay health benefits to its adjuncts ("Hours cut to dodge costs," March 25). My assumption is that our federal government employees who passed the Affordable Care Act could foresee that this would be a necessary result of the act. If not, then I question their ability to make laws for our country.
Unfortunately, only the federal government can print money. Most employers simply aren't financially able to provide additional benefits beyond their current amounts. As such, employers will need to react to the Affordable Care Act by limiting employee hours, thereby being forced by the federal government to negatively impact the income of their employees. An additional consequence for HVCC is that administrative expenses may need to increase due to now having to hire and employ additional adjunct staff, none of whom will be able to make a decent salary teaching eight credits or less.
It seems the federal government has no understanding of how hard it is to develop and maintain a successful business. The majority of businesses fail and when they do, the people who started them often end up in financial ruin. In addition, business loan defaults negatively impact us all.
The employee health insurance mandate in the Affordable Care Act is just another government imposition that will further hamper the ability to create and maintain successful businesses in our society.
Paul Rogan
Saratoga Springs
