Posted on 08/25/2009 9:50:03 AM PDT by thought
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island will shut down its state government for 12 days and trim millions of dollars in funding for local governments under a plan Gov. Don Carcieri proposed Monday to balance a budget hammered by surging unemployment and plummeting tax revenue.
The shutdown would force 81 percent of the roughly 13,550-member state work force, excluding its college system, to stay home a dozen days without pay before the start of the new fiscal year in July.
The closures come as the worst recession in decades has eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in tax collections and pushed unemployment to 12.7 percent, the second-highest jobless rate in the nation behind Michigan.
Carcieri predicted the state's fiscal future could grow even bleaker.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Sometime in the 1970’s Rhode Island had a budget problem and the state highways were horrible. I recall a vacation where we drove through the state and my dad was dodging potholes on the turnpike.
I hope that’s contagious!
bump
Miss 'em?
More like giving a sigh of relief.
Check out the proper use and spelling of "its" and "it's". Thank you. Thank you very much.
States have to cut back all the “progress” they made in expansion during the real estate scam. If they don’t do it with common sense and in an orderly way, the people are going to be dodging more than potholes.
Think anyone will notice??
“Any ideas just why Rhode Island is worse off than other states? I mean I can understand Michigan and CA, but Rhode Island?”
Half of the jobs in Rhode Island are either state, federal, or municipality.
Shutting down gov is bad? As far as I’m concerned, nuke the whole state/fed system.
>>> like funding for clinics in low-income areas and crap. Money on “social services” stuff. <<<<
That’s because we have been invaded by 25 million++ peasant illegal aliens from Mexico and Mesoamerica.
They suck up massive amounts of American social services that might otherwise be going to assist a dramatically smaller number of really desperate actual citizens.
I volunteered to escort an elderly person last year in her visits to the state offices for medical aid. There were maybe 75 people in the room and perhaps 5 or 10 of us were Americans (5 or 10 at most).
The rest were Mexicans and Mesoamericans, some in very colorful native costume. None were speaking English.
This is such a knee slapping joke. Over the next 3 years we will witness massive government layoffs and huge salary reductions. States can’t print money. It is over but they are in denial. There is now a revolution and it will not be pretty.
>>>> The bigger story (that won’t get reported) is that barely anyone will notice the shut down. Any ideas just why Rhode Island is worse off than other states? <<<<<
1) “12 work days” is about 96 hours, which is LESS THAN FIVE PERCENT of the normal 2080 hour work year. If you stagger it out over 12 months it’s (obviously) only 1 day per month.
Pretty trivial cut IMO.
2) Rhode Island is a pretty state, but its state and local government have been corrupt and whacky as far back as I can remember.
I long for the country of 1890 when we had ZERO income tax and no mass media.
Since states can’t print money but the federal government can, I see this as a path for the Washington crowd to usurp the constitution.
You know there has been this crazy rumor that Citizen Palin would relocate to Rhode Island........maybe she should, just to save their economy and then leave......maybe that’s her calling in the short term......move to an ailing state, help generate commerce and revenue, then move onto the next ailing state......
Good news. Now they should do that in every state and make it 120 days instead of just 12. It would improve everyone’s life....except the parasite functionaries and bureaucrats.
Oregon is worse...
Sounds exactly like Oregon...
Now that’s an idea I could get behind for all levels of government.
Oh Darn! Not that! Who will be there to harrass the citizens?
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