Cash-Strapped States Shut Down Hundreds Of Offices

wsj.com:

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.

Read the whole story: wsj.com

Comments

[timetorevolt]

04:46 PM on 09/06/2009

Rethuglican governors turned down stimulus money that would have prevented some of these problems. Rick Perry and rethuglican state congressional leaders turned down stimuls unemployment funds. But had to borrow over 500 million from the federal government to fund the Texas unemployment agency so it would not run out of money next month.

The dumb@### Texsas birthers, deathers, and all around morons think they were hurting Obama by encouraging Perry to refuse stimulus money...But many of them don't have a pot to pi SS in or a window to throw it out because of his decision...

[Peter007]

11:54 AM on 09/07/2009

Most of the stimulus money came with strings attached that would cause the states to spend more money then they wanted to over the long run. Why didn't the Democrats just hand over the money for jobs without conditions attached?

[UNLVGOP]

10:50 PM on 09/04/2009

So first Obama said the stimulus would keep unemployment from rising above 8%. It's not 9.7 and rising.

Then he said the main purpose was to prevent states form laying people off. Obvoiusly it hasn't done that either.

Why is this a surprise? Anyone who is familiar w/ running a business knows the biggest expense is labor. of course that's gonna be the first thing effected.

[Osusuki]

02:26 AM on 09/06/2009

Not even Obama can fix stupid, and stupid is the only reason California had to cut back on any services at all. We have this thing here called Proposition 13, which everybody thinks is just about property tax, but in reality it means you can have 106 reasonable adults out of the 120 members in the both houses of the legislature voting yea on a revenue increase, and it won't pass because 14 stupid Republican children in the state senate will vote nay on ANY revenue bill.

Our Governor, who despite being related by marriage to the Kennedy family still thinks he can bring anyone around if he calls him a Girly Man enough times, has gone to Washington twice now, hat in hand, to ask for a state bailout. Both times the feds looked at him and said, "You have the world's eighth largest economy and you're asking US for money? We should help you when you won't help yourself? Go home and clean up your own mess." They didn't add, "Girly Man," but they were thinking it.

[UNLVGOP]

10:40 AM on 09/06/2009

Higher taxes always dont' mean higher revenues...Maryland just reported their tax revenue has dropped even with higher taxes...

What's stupid is to raise taxes in this economy and think you're gonna solve CA's problems w/ more revenue. Social programs get bigger, not smaller....what will you do in 5 years....where will this increase in revenue come from? At some point you have to say, wait a minute....maybe we can't afford this!!!!!

[FreedomCorpse]

06:19 PM on 09/04/2009

bankrupting the US and the people is the republican solution for 'big government' after they added so many via mercenary outsourcing and the TSA, the plan is going as scheduled while dems continue the parade of destruction thru faulty thinking by bailing out insolvent monster banks.

[constitutional 1]

02:45 PM on 09/04/2009

i think there are 15 million people that wouldnt mind having to take a couple of days off a month without pay.

[RJII]

12:47 AM on 09/05/2009

especially if it means saving your job in the long run

[Peter007]

01:14 PM on 09/04/2009

This was so easy to see this coming it was a joke. States have been cashing in on the Real Estate bubble since it started. They felt that if home owners were getting rich off of housing, they should too. Home owners now have taken the hit on falling prices but the state governments can't take the same hit. They are going the way of the Detroit auto workers unions.
Most expenses in State Government are the pension payouts. Millions of retired workers are enjoying cashing those pension checks. Many are in their 40's and 50's. Its not uncommon for someone to work less than 5 years at a government post and reap a $70,000 pension for life. ( appointed positions ).
New York City had to hire an entire new police force ( 40% ). after 9-11 because the pensions were so good to those after 9-11 that to stay on working, world cost the cops pension money.
The gravy train is coming to an end. State workers are keeping their heads down least anyone notice what they are getting.

[DuganS1]

01:31 PM on 09/04/2009

We're going to see a lot more municipalities (and maybe even states) do this:

"Bankruptcy judge dissolves labor contract: a first?

In what may be the first action of its kind, a federal bankruptcy judge dissolved a City of Vallejo labor contract this week.

But the overturning of a public employee labor contract, opposed by labor unions and CalPERS (a top creditor owed $84 million), comes after a long and expensive bankruptcy process.

Overturning the contract of the electrical workers union, a lone holdout after three other unions reached an agreement, saves the city an estimated $860,000 in salary increases during the final two years of the contract."

And some want to increase union membership further? The fact is that union pensions have destroyed two of our three biggest auto-makers, have forced companies to move jobs overseas or subcontract, and are now causing municipalities and states substantial fiscal distress. The municipality in the article was able to dissolve their labor contract. How many more will follow? I believe hundreds, even thousands will.

[DeadPhish]

03:19 PM on 09/04/2009

WE NEED MORE UNIONS!

The Big-3 were destroyed by managements short-sighted goals based on greed. Foreign auto makers had long-term goals that worked. Big difference.

See, greed is NOT good, it makes management people blame unions for their mistakes and bad decisions.

[GraceMAC]

03:54 PM on 09/04/2009

The states are going bankrupt because revenue crashed, thanks to the economy.

It wasn't public worker salaries or pension investment funds that tanked the economy, private industry managed that great feat with NO government help whatsoever.

[Osusuki]

02:55 AM on 09/06/2009

I don't know what state you live in, but I wish I could find it and work in the public sector there. I've worked government jobs in several states, and never seen anybody vest in a retirement system in under six years except law enforcement, and they only collect that "fat" pension for having body parts shot off. Not saying you're wrong, fella. Just saying I've never been lucky enough to see it. I'm also saying your thoughts on the matter might be colored by unusual personal experience or limited knowledge.

Two years ago, when the California budget shortfall was under $15 Billion, some bright individual suggested the way to solve the problem was to cut law enforcement salaries $500 a year, teachers salaries $1,000 a year, and legislators salaries $2,000 a year. This would have made the guy who thought it up very happy, and saved the state a whopping $464 Million. Of course by raising the state income tax $50 per month on every employed Californian, we could have raised $11 Billion in new revenue. But you can't raise taxes here. It's against the law.

So go ahead, gripe all you want about the high cost of government, but I think you're going to admit someday--maybe sooner than you think--that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

[Peter007]

11:52 AM on 09/07/2009

My neighbors are cops at $80,000/ patrolman and $125,000..chief.. There is no crime in our town. Maybe a speeding ticket every other day. There is no history of any cop being shot in our town or surrounding towns in at least the past 50 years.
My wife is a school teacher so I know about benefits. My point is , that too many people are getting rich off the system because there are no checks and balances.. I don't begrudge someone from making good money as long as its in a competitive atmosphere. Salaries should be based upon supply and demand and not politics. When you have 2,000 people applying for 1 position on the police force, it means that the salary is too high.

[Chicago48]

12:05 PM on 09/04/2009

States should just go on a 4 day workweek and forget about a furlough day here and there. Just go on 4 days. The public will get used to it.

[lightningbolt]

11:52 AM on 09/04/2009

The states will continue to see budget deficits since much of their revenue comes from property taxes and sales taxes, both of which are going down due to foreclosures and low sales.

[Chicago48]

12:07 PM on 09/04/2009

Chicago is really suffering right now. Really. bad. That's why Oprah is giving us a gift by taping on Michigan Ave to help the tourist business.

But let's blame the local governments for not being prognasticators. They should know from history there's boom and bust. You always pile up money and get ready for the bust. Plus, they never planned for these type of downturns. You don't wait until the wolf is at the door to start barricading your door.

[vet64]

11:37 AM on 09/04/2009

How're the Neo Cons "Trickle Down Economics" treating Americans"? The ones who got the money are the ones who had the money. The losers are the ones in the middle and the poor. Time to break up everyone of the corporations and conglomerates into small companies so they don't interfere with Americas politics anymore.

[Peter007]

01:22 PM on 09/04/2009

Neo con and trickle down economics are not related. Neo con refers to foreign policies that are adventurous and opposite traditional conservative foreign policies. ( hence NEO or new )
Trickle down was first present by JFK when he asked for tax cuts in the 60's. Its not a conservative theory but rather an economic theory.

[DeadPhish]

02:44 PM on 09/04/2009

"Trickle down was first present by JFK when he asked for tax cuts in the 60's. Its not a conservative theory but rather an economic theory."

Sorry, facts in a vacuum are useless. JFK was ALSO working on the beginnings of The Great Society that Johnson eventually was given credit for. Reagan, on the other hand, took "trickle down" to another level all together by trying to dismantle the "welfare state." So, the "economic theory" you refer to was a balanced theory, the "trickle down" that Conservatives now embrace is certainly a "conservative theory."

[FreedomCorpse]

06:12 PM on 09/04/2009

I think someone tinkled on your shoe and it hasn't been cleaned off yet.

[Earl]

11:29 AM on 09/04/2009

Such is the "state" of new media's journalism!

[akashm]

11:14 AM on 09/04/2009

The post offices are also closing, if this is not a sign of bad economy to the GOP I don't know what is. I hope the Dem Government, keep doing what is right for the country, otherwise everything will be privatized and the companies will make a huge killing.

[JoeBlough]

11:40 AM on 09/04/2009

Republicans said that government funded post offices is a form of Socialism.

[Peter007]

01:16 PM on 09/04/2009

The post offices are closing due to a new pension payout to employees that makes them very rich.

[DeadPhish]

02:46 PM on 09/04/2009

Nope. Pensions have nothing to do with the USPS cash flow problem. It is, in fact, the horrible management of that entity over four decades that no politician has bothered to address. Pensions are necessary, why do you hate old people?

[heroine addict]

11:14 AM on 09/04/2009

50, count 'em. 50.

[nicholasfromWA]

11:17 AM on 09/04/2009

Actually 49. I heard Hawaii is part of Kenya now.

[feo]

11:28 AM on 09/04/2009

48; I think we gave Alaska back to Russia.

[constitutional 1]

02:39 PM on 09/04/2009

They said hundreds when they first put this story up

[ohmetoo]

11:13 AM on 09/04/2009

Well if everyone would just not eat for one day a week, not use energy, gas, electric for one day a week, well we would be hungry and walking like much of the rest of the world, for one day. Perhaps that was the goal of the globe masters.

[AsISaid]

11:10 AM on 09/04/2009

How can Huffpost employ editors that don't have a grasp of grammar? Hundreds of States?

[nicholasfromWA]

11:16 AM on 09/04/2009

Welcome to the new world order! See what happens when you let socialism creep in :)

[LillyDePlume]

01:46 PM on 09/04/2009

Yep; I was thinking the same thing! ;)

[Zenith1959]

11:19 AM on 09/04/2009

If they just switched a couple of words around, hundreds of state offices shut...

[disintaGreatNation]

11:09 AM on 09/04/2009

Californians almost universally (and incorrectly) blame illegal immigrants for the Golden State's colossal budget deficits.
Who are the scapegoats that get the blame for state budget woes in Maryland, Wisconsin, and Georgia?

[Ex-Kindergartner]

11:30 AM on 09/04/2009

With help and direction from Lou Dobbs and his crowd, it doesn't matter to most people where they live, they believe illegal immigrants are threatening them. I hear people here in my state (Oregon) who feel just as threatened by Mexicans taking their jobs and schools and health care as anyone from CA.

Its just a smoke screen..."Hey, everyone lookit these bad illegal aliens while we rake in corporate profits and turn the economy from manufacturing into a service-based one with part-time seasonal jobs! Boo! Illegal aliens! Pay no attention to the corporate megabanker behind the curtain!"

[americanfabius]

11:53 AM on 09/04/2009

Pretty easy in Wisconsin: soon to be retired Jim Doyle

[Ex-Kindergartner]

11:07 AM on 09/04/2009

Really! I usually don't like to nitpick about grammar, etc. Lord knows I'm guilty of splitting a few infinitives myself and all. But "hundreds" of states? Where are the other fifty-plus states? This title sounds horrid and eviscerates the article.