States Shut Down to Save Cash

[LargoWinch]

What is next? A wave of municipal bankruptcies?

• SEPTEMBER 4, 2009, WSJ

• By LESLIE EATON, RYAN KNUTSON and PHILIP SHISHKIN

California drivers can't line up to renew their licenses Friday. Wisconsin natives can't order copies of their birth certificates. Georgia consumers will have to postpone registering complaints with state watchdogs. And stranded motorists in Maryland may have to wait a little longer for highway-department help.



Across the country, cash-strapped state governments are shutting down business for a day at a time to save money. State offices are shuttered Friday in California, Maine, Maryland and Michigan. Rhode Island had planned to join them until a judge on Thursday blocked its closure plan.


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Full Article here.

[GRG55]

Re: States Shut Down to Save Cash

What is next? A wave of municipal bankruptcies?

Elected officials everywhere always use the same old tactic...in the face of any sort of funding shortfall make sure to cut the services the public actually use first. Once the public is fed up enough they can be tapped for more funding with less protest...or risk to ones re-election campaign.

The provinces and cities on our side of the border are experts at this [hard not to notice that no matter what the fiscal situation they always reach settlement with the administrative unions that run their offices, and the first real fight they always pick is with the garbage collectors]...:rolleyes:

[don]

Re: States Shut Down to Save Cash

You're dead on, GR. The Cali twist- state parks were first to be threatened with closures. With Cali's budget woes, you can't even find that small a savings in the deficit pile. Attention-deficit shock therapy for Californians who thought they could block out the bad news with a family vacation on the cheap. :eek: