Alabama County Faces Major Layoffs

Source: NY Times

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It is hardly unusual these days for a government building to forgo a fresh paint job or regular lawn care to cut costs. But last week, the director of the Jefferson County public nursing home was told that the county could no longer afford to bury indigent patients.

Across town at the juvenile detention center, the man in charge was trying to figure out how to feed the 28 children in his custody when the entire cafeteria staff is let go. The tax collector warned local school districts to expect a six-month delay to get their share of property taxes. In family court, administrators plan to delay child support, custody and child abuse cases, leaving some children in the hands of the state indefinitely.

In every part of Jefferson County — Alabama’s most populous county and its main economic engine — government managers have been scrambling to prepare for Saturday, when two-thirds of county employees eligible for layoffs — up to 1,400 — will be lost in an effort to stave off financial ruin.

“Outside of the city of Detroit,” said Robert A. Kurrter, a managing director with Moody’s Investors Service, “it’s fair to say we haven’t seen any place in America with the severity of problems that they’re experiencing in Jefferson County.” Moody’s rates Jefferson County’s credit lower than any other municipality in the country.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/us/01alabama.html?hp

but out here in reality america is turning into a second world nation.

a union rep from california told my wife that california has become a third world nation.

We are facing ruin -- and it all started when Reagan was elected. Reagan's anti-union offensive ruined the American middle class, and that middle class was the heartbeat of the nation. Our heartbeat is getting weaker every day. That the stock market went up is inconsequential -- an illusion of improvement. In fact, things are not getting better in middle America.

Well, they want tax cuts, they got tax cuts. Let 'em eat old copies of Atlas Shrugged as they get shagged!

Jefferson County voted 52% for Obama.

Jefferson County's population is 58% White, 39% Black.

The county is governed by a five-member commission with legislative and executive duties.

Bettye Fine Collins is the commission President.


Other commissioners are William A. Bell, Jim Carns, Bobby Humphryes, and Shelia Smoot

Having spent my growing up years near there in Etowah County, Jefferson County has no real revenue source to draw from, but yet provide services to the entire county. You have 55 different communities, all but 7 of them are incorporated, 10 different school districts in addition to the county system, and 2 separate courthouses. If that's not a recipe for disaster, what is.

The solution is city-county consolidation, either actual like Nashville/Davidson, Louisville/Jefferson, Athens/Clarke GA, Jacksonville/Duval,or Indianapolis/Marion, or effective like Charlotte/Mecklenburg or Knoxville/Knox TN. This will never fly because the over-the-mountain wealthy suburbs wants very little to do with Birmingham. Race does play a factor here, but the discriminatory color here is GREEN!

And all the money that was invested in what turned out to be default swaps, now worthless.
THAT set the stage for the current disasterous budget problems.

That's where I live.

:cry:

For the first time in my life, I'm
seriously thinking of leaving here.

I cherish the Great Lakes, and don't
really want to live anywhere else, but
shit, we're swirling down a drain.