[econjack]

Typical response: raise taxes. How ‘bout cutting spending, starting with the city managers’ salaries.

[Celtic Conservative]

It Begins?

I live near Detroit, where it "began" a long time ago. The only difference between Detroit and a third world country is that there are no goats roaming the streets.

CC

[goldstategop]

In 1994, Orange County, CA went bankrupt. It was then the largest public default recorded in American history. If you thought the cresting wave of home foreclosures and skyrocketing federal and state debt was bad, you ain't seen nothin' yet!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find only things evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelogus

[Gaffer]

Never fear. City fathers have announced a program to put the new ‘incinerators’ to good use —— burning the corpses of non-complaint taxpayers who don’t pony up their ‘fair share’... wealth and goods left over from the estates of malcontents will be applied to the ‘debt’.....

[libs_kma]

I wonder how long until the unproductive part of society becomes too expensive to bear and goes under the bus?

Because if gubmint checks stop, thats when the real fun starts.

[libs_kma]

I wonder how long until the unproductive part of society becomes too expensive to bear and goes under the bus?

Because if gubmint checks stop, thats when the real fun starts.

[gathersnomoss]

Please step away from the oscilating device as Barry’s excrement is coming your way.

[TADSLOS]

This is why police/fire protection and emergency medical services are not guarantees you can count on.

[qam1]

The Article started good, but then it just abruptly ends.

Bad journalism

[Catholic Canadian]

Detroit should be turned into a giant Sporting Clay course. Just put up loads of automatic trap machines everywhere and we could have a lot of fun shooting, “Ooops! Missed again!”

[Dick Bachert]

And the states are not far behind.

But NOT TO WORRY!! The leftist controlled Federales will simply resort to the last mechanism traditionally used by all governments in the final throes of their suicide: THE PRINTING PRESS. They’ve already done that with the TARP and SPENDULOUS thingys. But, when the excrement hits the fans in the states, they’ll have to accelerate the process and we’ll soon be hauling wheelbarrows filled with increasingly worthless FRAUDS (Federal Reserve Accounting Unit Denominators erroneoulsy called “dollars”) to the store for a loaf of bread. Our experience will make the Weimar thing look like a warm-up exercise.

Why do you think Obambi is calling for massive TAX HIKES? IT’S AN EFFORT (DOOMED TO FAILURE BTW) TO SUCK UP THE EXCESS FRAUDS SOON TO BE SLOSHING AROUND IN WHAT REMAINS OF THIS ECONOMY IN A VAIN ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE LESS ALERT — AND WELL ARMED — AMONG US FROM CATCHING ON AND HITTING THE STREETS.

Having said that, the states probably deserve to suffer for their abandonment of their Constitutionally mandated role to guard the integrity of the money of account at Article 1, Section 10. (Read it if you never have.) The language is perfectly clear. It is even clearer if you read the notes of the Constitutional Convention surrounding that important debate. You know — all that “old stuff” North Carolina’s educrats now seek to chuck down the Orwellian memory hole.

Here endth the sermon.

And probably the America in which those of us of a certain age grew up.

How sad for our kids and grandkids.

[reaganaut1]

I don’t understand how debt service on a waste incinerator for a town of 47,000 can be $68 million. How much does a waste incinerator cost? I would have guessed less than $68 million dollars, especially for a moderate-sized town. And that’s principal, not debt service.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

"asset sales"

That's the worst part of that story right there. NOT AN OPTION. They can't sell the American peoples' infrastructure. They do NOT own it.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

Funny how they were unable to calculate the operating and debt cost for an incenerator. Shoosh, more northeastern ivy leagued geniuses. Hey festus, lets go buy ourselves an incenerator. A what? An incenerator. You mama already has one, its in the sink.

[pabianice]

Strange... all of them have had a Dem government for the past 30 years... /s

[TChris]

Ironically, the debt burden that is trashing Harrisburg was incurred to build a waste incinerator.

No doubt due to oppressive EPA regulations and other assorted pressures from the envior-wacko faith.

[scannell]

Do governmental units ever get to that point of desparation where they say we will cut our spending to the level of our income and just do it? Maybe say we are rolling back our appropriations to the 2003 Budget or something like that.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Actually most cities could start to step out of this trap by ditching the irresponsible pension plans which they are obliged to support for their unionized gubbermint employees.

Word needs to get out that you can’t retire from your job as a sanitation worker or bus driver at full salary and with full-paid healthcare at age 55.

[dragnet2]

Oklahoma’s budget has country’s biggest deficit

Only a few months removed from being declared "recession-proof” by national media, Oklahoma faces the largest state budget deficit in the nation, according to a report given by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Advertisement

The conference’s November update of state budgets says Oklahoma’s 18.5 percent shortfall for the current fiscal year edges out Arizona’s 18 percent, with Illinois, at 16.5 percent, in third.

http://newsok.com/oklahomas-budget-has-countrys-biggest-deficit/article/3426247

[4yearlurker]

Fat Eddie Rendell has raised every tax,fee and toll (some twice) since he has taken office and even came up with some new taxes here in PA. The local libraries have all cut their hours,I had a hard time finding state tax forms this year,and every transaction I make and every bill I pay the state of PA. has their fat union hand out. If Rendell could run for a third term he would get elected no problem. Because after all”he's doing a good job.” The state senate in Harrisburg has their own tax payer funded barber shop,and Rendell’s catering bill is about 80 thousand a month. Truly sickening.