State, Local Budgets Over the Limit

Arnold Schwarzenegger's fascist austerity plans suffered a setback, Monday, when a federal judge halted plans to cut or reduce caregiver services for 130,000 disabled and low-income seniors starting Nov. 1. The plan by the Department of Social Services was intended to cut $82.1 million this year out of In-Home Supportive Services. Judge Claudia Wilken's ruling was proceedural, saying that Arnie's deadline offered no time for appeal. Now, the state is saying that the cuts are programmed in, and there is not enough time to reinstate them!

Other related news:

Chicago is faced with a $550 million budget deficit, and Mayor Richard M. Daley on Monday said that all non-union city workers would take 24 unpaid days, or nearly five working WEEKS, of unpaid leave next year, to save the city money. Daley's plan would "save" $114 million by eliminating 220 vacant jobs, and cutting expenses like travel and supplies by $20 million. While the mayor claims that the cuts would not affect frontline employees who actually deliver services to the public, anyone who knows Chicago politics, knows better. As one such watchdog said, "You won't have enough people on the management side of the ledger making sure that people... show up on time, do their job, are held accountable."

Hawaii is closing schools on most Fridays for the rest of the school year (that's a 4 day school week!), a total of 17 days, and cutting teacher pay by 8%. The Associated Press notes that, "The cuts come as Obama, who graduated from a top private high school in Hawaii, says U.S. students are at a disadvantage with other students around the world because they spend too little time in school... Parents of special-needs students are considering suing the state, and advocates believe the plan will have a 'disparate impact' on poor families, ethnic communities and single parents."