Governor John Lynch should strongly consider a 4-day work week for State employees.

We live in a time where rising gas and food prices are at the forefront of all our minds, and yet the cost of living increases State employees see each year will never offset these concerns.

The State employees of Utah are doing this right now.

The city of Birmingham Alabama is as well.

Many local towns and cities already operate on a 4-day work week. Not only would it help out State employees in the pocket, but it would help the environment with fewer cars on the road, but it will help the local economy as well. If fewer people are driving to work on a Friday, maybe they are hitting a State beach instead. Or going camping. Or taking a day trip. Either way, the money will go back into the economy and not necessarily directly into the pockets of the big oil companies.

A 4-day work week will make sense for many non-essential State employees. At the same time there will be agencies that can't do this, and maybe those agencies can look into a flex-time scenario.

I worked for the State of New Hampshire for almost 7 years and am well aware that this isn't just a cookie cutter scenario. It will work in some areas, but not in others. But working toward something like this might benefit everyone.

I remember back when fiber optics were something that only businesses could afford. The first time I heard it would be available to residents in this country I was floored: here was something that could really take off. The sky was the limit for what companies could offer consumers as far as technology: downloading entire episodes of TV shows, downloading movies, an entire discography of your favorite band. Anything.