RI gov to shut down state government for 12 days

RI gov to shut down state government for 12 days

apnews.myway.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island will shut down its state government for 12 days and hopes to trim millions of dollars in funding for local governments under a plan Gov. Don Carcieri outlined Monday to balance a budget hammered by surging unemployment and plummeting tax revenue

(visit the link for the full news article)

Amazing, that Rhode Island is going to shut down for 12 days, that is a long time. It is just the latest state to shut down it's government, Birmingham, Alabama has cut 1/3 of it's work force and offices.

For those who only listen to the MSM, that "good times are just around the corner and we are going back up". Look at what is happening around the states, the real information, is by watching what is happening.

We are just beginning the tough times - the fact and truth is, tough times are just around the corner. It is obvious from state governments - closing shop for a few days.

I always thought Rhode Island was a wealthy state and did not expect, they would be one of the first to have problems, out in the open.

I expect many more states to follow their lead.



apnews.myway.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

we were wealthy, but our state has taken a nose dive in the economy.
I have a hard time listening to those who say we are passed the worse of it.
Our state's unemployment numbers are not accurate, the number is much higher. I believe we are being lied to in the hopes that confidence will be restored, but I feel that this will not work.

Originally posted by shadow watcher
we were wealthy, but our state has taken a nose dive in the economy.
I have a hard time listening to those who say we are passed the worse of it.
Our state's unemployment numbers are not accurate, the number is much higher. I believe we are being lied to in the hopes that confidence will be restored, but I feel that this will not work.

Yep, I agree with you, unfortunately.

In the immortal words of the great Bender Bending Rodriguez,"We're boned."

I think California may be one of the next ones, and I think they were already mighty close.

My own state of Arizona and Michigan may be soon to follow, sad considering that I live in Arizona and have plans to move to Michigan in the near future.

Very depressing news, but so far my "Most Depressing News of The Day" award goes to "All Fish Nationwide Are Full Of Mercury!" My plans of fishing in Michigan for a tasty meal are now dashed before they ever get off the ground.

Maryland is following on the heels of Rhode Island,

Article out today:
www.baltimoresun.com...

About 70,000 state employees would see their salaries reduced under a furlough proposal from Gov. Martin O'Malley to save $75 million in the middle of the latest budget crisis.

The plan includes a shutdown of routine state government operations for five days around holidays, including the Friday before the coming Labor Day weekend.

The highest paid employees - those earning more than $100,000 a year - would lose two weeks' pay. Lowest-paid workers would be docked for three days. Salaries would return to current levels next year.

Oh, but we are suppose to be listening to MSM - "Good times are here again"!

My mother works for the state of RI, I just called her and she says:

1. This is old news, she's known about it for months.

2. The days are like "mandatory vacation days" without pay. However, they are not scheduled for everyone on the same days. So while my mom has her day(s) off, the other people in her office will not.

13 days of un-paid time off, spread throughout a year, is not a bad thing.

I wish my boss would consider something like this...

Going the route of Furloughs over Lay-Offs is a much smarter route. Heck, if I were given the choice of a 13-day Unpaid Furlough or being Laid-Off, I know I would much rather have the Furlough.

However, this is only a Band-Aid solution. The problem isn't Revenue for most of these States, but the ballooning costs of maintaining a large Bureaucracy while committing Deficit Spending instead of Balancing State Budgets or working with a Surplus Budget.

Just as the average American consumer has a Debt problem caused by their insatiable desire to spend more than they can afford, our Governments are discovering they have the exact same problem. That is no way to run your personal finances, and it is certainly no way to run one's Government finances either.

If Rhode Island is truly smart, they'll take the millions they are saving from these Furloughs and instead of spending it, find other ways to cut the wasteful Deficit Spending until they find themselves with either a Balanced or Surplus Budget.

Of course here is the dangerous part...

The State Government shuts down for 13 days and no one notices!

Life goes on, citizens still go back and forth to work each day, children play, birds sing, lovers hold hands and nothing is different except none of the overpaid government workers showed up to work to get paid.

Wow talk about risk taking. Government is going to be a tough sell when people realize how little it actually does for them!