In my own, my native land, the fiscal realities have set in:
Virginia will do less for its residents, and expect local governments and private charities to do more, under a new state budget likely to have an impact for years to come.
With Virginia facing what lawmakers say is the grimmest financial picture in memory, the House of Delegates and Senate adopted budgets last week that would shrink general spending to about $15 billion, or no more than was spent four years ago. In other words, Virginia would spend about the same amount on services as it did when there were 100,000 fewer residents and many fewer were in economic distress.
Unlike Washington, the several states do not have the option of printing currency.
From a commenter at Reason:
Spending has to drop to 2006 levels. 2006!!! You can see the rape gangs forming on the horizon as we speak. Children are already being roasted for food!
Heh.
Not only California and Virginia – didja see KC MO is closing half its public schools? That’ll learn them.
I always wonder about the justification of increased costs due to population growth. I do understand the correlation in areas like Fire, Police etc… but as for other services, parks and rec, DMV, and yes even schools, etc… I do not think the link need apply. Think outside the box on how to address services. Plus you’ve added 100,000 in population I would assume you’ve added their taxes to your coffers too?
Efficiency in Government are oft two words that do not collide in the same philosophy, but… just maybe “A good crisis is a terrible thing to waste!” Don’t solve it the Democrat way… sending more money at it, solve it the Marine Corps (pronounced CORE for you Barak-straps out there!) way… Improvise, Overcome, Execute!
Not if they’re illegal immigrants
Government, across the board is having this shoved down their throats. They’ll kick and scream for awhile, and the “Public Employee” Unions will try to raise a lot h3ll, but it’s coming, like it or not. Much of the citizenry, or, better yet, subjects, will cry and scream as well. Won’t matter as it won’t change a thing.
Sooner or later, you run out of other people’s money. We are there.
QM – True. What about “living within your means” don’t these bozos understand? Governments across all states have been guilty of profligate spending living on the ever increasing assessment taxes to fund any and all pet projects. No “rainy day” funds, no forward looking planning on downsizing. No thought of decline in property assessment or tax base. Nope. Nothing but blue skies do they see. Bam. Hit by a truck as they crossed the street admiring that blue sky. Next year will be even worse. Check your municipal bond funds and shuck any with NY, CA or Illinois bonds.
Makes you wonder if some of these people are really ideologues who want to take the system down. Who were the two radicals that wanted to get everyone possible on welfare as a means to the end of bankrupting/collapsing American society, in the hopes that they could start over and make the world safe for socialism by destroying the brightest counter-example?
Unfortunately I know someone who was a good friend in High School who’s job now is to do precisely the above. He was a radical commie in school, which I thought was just a passing phase, but he found a bunch of fellow travelers in Law School and the AmeriCorps and now travels to the poorer “red” parts of the country to “advise” the unfortunate of just how much dough they can get from the government. And he’s paid well to do this.
Unlike Washington, the several states do not have the option of printing currency.
Here in Illinois what they do is issue bonds to borrow money. Faced with a collapsing economy and a tax and spend structure second only to California, the latest budget from our Governor is to raise income taxes by 33% and borrow millions. And we still don’t fund public pensions anywhere near what it will take to actually pay them – as we have not for years.
Of course, the alternative being pushed is to cut funding for schools, etc. The concept of cutting back costs by combining government agencies, cutting the State workforce, etc., is nowhere to be found. That would put too many of their relatives on the street.
My take on that article was positive. Virginia was going to cut State spending in an attempt to meet current revenue. It seems most other entities, most especially the big one in the District of Columbia, seeks to increase spending, by increasing borrowing and taxing. Given those option, VA seems correct.
juvat – +1
Agreed. Spending must be in line with income. I had to do it, my employer had to do it – why do governments think they can operate as the exception? Good for VA.
Much wailing and nashing of teeth here in the Commonwealth over the cuts. Rebpubs are hard over against increasing taxes and fees. The Dems not so much so. It’s forcing local governments to make some hard decisions. Here in Rockbridge county, do we consolodate schools, keeping the same student to teacher ratio, and save a million or so, or do we keep the smaller schools which are closer to home? It’s a tough question. I don’t have skin in the game but I do feel for the parents and students who will have to sacrifice.
what few realize is that the Old Dominion has added over 10,000 employees in the last 10 years (IIRC). and yet my employer ( very large IT firm) has held two layoffs in the space of 12 months.
Wonder how many state employees have been laid off?
speaking of localities Henrico County is considering issuing MAC laptops to middle schoolers. talk about a waste
I believe that Federal, State, and County, and City employees generally make more money than folks who actually work for a living producing useful stuff. I have no complaints about the Armed Forces (mostly), they being a necessary expense, but I do believe that Government is, not to put too fine a point on it, a parasite upon Society.
Civil government employees make more than private sector employees on average.
Your regular enlisted guy? Not a chance. The military is still paid not too much save the officer corps. Civil government employees make much more than the military.
And yes, government is a parasite. The less you need to be able to provide protection and necessary services (fire, emergency rooms, etc.) the better.
Meanwhile, unemployment is 6% in DC metro area (if you can’t get a guvmint job, you are truly unemployable), 6 of the wealthiest 10 counties in the country with a median income of over $71k are those that surround the federal district.