Posted on 09/06/2009 7:23:33 PM PDT by Brilliant
State and local governments stood out as safe havens for workers during the recession's early stages. Now even they are laying off employees as officials rush to cut costs and balance budgets.
August marked the third straight month that state and local governments shed jobs, reflecting cutbacks prompted by declining income and property taxes. They accounted for the bulk of the 18,000 government jobs lost in August -- the U.S. Postal Service cut about 8,500 jobs as well -- and analysts expect the reductions to continue through much of the year.
The widening unemployment rate has a gender gap and men are feeling the brunt of it. WSJ's Jon Hilsenrath says thanks to the struggling manufacturing, finance and construction industries, unemployment for men is the highest its been in 27 years.
Despite billions of dollars in aid from federal stimulus programs, budget cuts across the nation are forcing employers that depend on those funds, such as local nonprofits, to scale back as well. The reductions are forcing more Americans into the ranks of the jobless at a time when private employers are doing little to absorb the 14.9 million people searching for work.
Government employment at the federal level is holding up better because the U.S. can borrow more easily while states and municipalities are often required to balance their budgets. Some of the cost-cutting at the state level is due to temporary shortfalls as receipts from income taxes and sales taxes dip. But a longer-lasting shift is also underway given severe declines in property values...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
“Health care is one of the few sectors consistently growing nationwide, adding almost 28,000 jobs in August...”
Obama will fix that.
California is still hiring state workers.
Which you'll happily be one of, no doubt.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus
Every time I put cracker head in the search block you turn up. But then it happens when I look for BS as well.
States can grow or shrink their governments all they want--the 10th amendment guarantees that...but the federal government is what needs to be limited.
No matter what the reason, this is great. About time these leeches found out what a real job was like.
If you want smaller government, become more self-sufficient and spend less.
Health care can’t defy gravity forever.
Wait till the states and locals try to raise the property taxes. Tea bags will fly!
Or the sales tax? How about 8.25% in the Great State of Mecklenburg, North Carolina? (We’re trying to make the NYC transplants feel at home.)
The story mentions that a family of a laid off police officer did not sign his boys up for baseball in order to save money.
If you come across a kid not playing ball on your kids’ team, or know of someone on the financial ropes with children who play sports and can not afford to enroll them, spring for the season’s fee for the kids and if you are taking your kid to the game offer or arrange rides to save the out of work family gas money.
When I coached young kids, I used to tell them the team had a small fund for kids who wanted to play but could not afford the fees for the season. As the coach, I took them with me to the games.
So is SC.
It’s about time. Local government has been a bloated gravy train for way too long. Now we need cuts in another out of control boondoggle — public school staffing.
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