Posted on 12/24/2009 8:54:22 AM PST by dragnet2
Oklahoma has the unwanted distinction of having the largest revenue shortfall of any state, according to a new report.
That reality is illustrated by the state's revenue collections, which are down by more than 25 percent from a year ago.
The state last week ordered yet another round of cuts, this time instructing agencies to cut 10 percent from their budgets.
A November state budget report by the National Conference of State Legislatures says Oklahoma's 18.5 percent shortfall for the current fiscal year edges out Arizona's 18 percent, with Illinois in third at 16.5 percent.
State agencies appeared to be taken by surprise by the 10 percent reduction. Departments have been putting workers on furlough and cutting services to cope with the 5 percent reduction.
Lauri Monetti, a Department of Human Services spokeswoman, said the additional cuts threaten programs that have been protected to this point because of the federal matching money they attract.
She said cuts in one-time expenditures will likely be made first. She said the “effect will be more significant” if the negative trend in revenue doesn't reverse soon.
The prison system, which is more reliant on state general fund revenue than most departments, is still analyzing the situation.
Corrections Department spokesman Jerry Massie said the agency has already had a round of early retirements and is running furloughs. The department work force is at three-quarters of its authorized strength.
amazing huh?
The bottom of the old pork barrel has been rotting for quite some time. It was inevitable that when it drops out, no one is left behind unaffected.. kind of like that ‘ No Chilrun Left Behind’ thingy ,, only bigger and expensiver. whoooosh!
uhh.. WHOOOOSH!!!
Thx! Can you believe he thought I didn’t know it was?
parsy, the indignant
Rotting brought on by endless government corruption.
“I think it was a penal colony.”
Whaddya mean, WAS? ;)
I'm sure they have 'coons and birds in Louisiana...along with the snakes and spiders and 'gators.
Martial, who says look at it this way: You'll raise the average IQ of both states just by crossing the border.
See: contrary to those radical, right wing nutcase charges it’s actually the Red States that are irresponsible fiscally.
Where I live is in the city, but I have nightly raccoons I feed (used to feed them by hand) and a ton of birds. I have friends who are going to feed the birds until spring gets here. Wood peckers, finches, cardinals, all kinds, and doves. I even hand raised a robin this summer. Going to miss them.
parsy, who has been feeding them for three years and worries about them
It’s called the equal protection clause. If you tax one person 40% of their income and another person 30% of their income, the law has not been applied equally.
You forgot to mention the obvious!
Both Pelosi and Boxed ARE from California; they ****** up California, then moved on to national government.
What's next? the UN?
Oh yes. Add Feinstein to that list. Consummate politicians who robbed working Americans blind.
Martial, who says God didn't give 'em those black masks for nuttin'.
Hard-hearted Republican! Think of the women and children, the starving elderly, the damage to the environment, yada, yada, (substitute your own favorite detested Commie talking point here).
Red state, blue state?
LOL!
You seem to be suggesting one of these parties in D.C. are legitimate. I could have sworn the other party was in power for 6 plus years....Then left the country holding a bag of s**t.
I hope so. I used to keep a kiddie pool on my front porch and me and my neighbors would sit there with them while they scrooched around the pool for dog food. They wold eat out of our hands. I started cutting back the grub when I counted 27 coons in the yard one night. Figured i was making them dependent. So, for the last year and more, just one loaf of bread and two cups of dog food. Problem is, my neighbors have their house up for sale, and we are kinda way back off the street away from the other neighbors. But I so hope you are right.
parsy, who can’t help but worry about the little guys
Politicians health and retirement benefits.
In other words, another lyin' DUmocrat.
Clearly all the States are in some kind of financial trouble or soon will be. They will have to cut services and benefits and raise taxes. It will not be pretty.
It's just started....We got tens of thousands of government employees retiring...ya got firefighters retiring at 53 years old at $65,000 per year in retirement, fire captains making $95,000 plus, water district personnel, city controllers, city managers, and county supervisors making nearly 6 figures or above, all with those opulent government benefits, and lottery style retirement packages....All on the tax payers backs...lol...
Thousands of these government employees have staffs of more government employees, with job titles that know one can figure out what they actually do....No joke.
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