In Arizona under a Republican governor and a very Republican state legislature they couldn't feckin wait to get their hands on things this legislative session. I believe the way it is working out is something that would interest everyone.
[Standard Mickey disclaimer: I am not a member of any political party. It is my belief that there really is not a two party system in America. It's the Washington/Corporate Party and there are two factions.]
The state GOP of course can't wait to hack government...and privatize the services and dole the contracts to friends. Yeah, all this cutting of government spending at the state level is pure bullsh!t. The plan is to take it out of one pocket and put it in another.
Right now the GOP is cutting government. Oh, of course Phoenix now has light rail, which was a government project the Republicans wanted. It doesn't really go anywhere in Phoenix, just down the financial corridor of downtown where prior to the tank of the economy fat cat politicos at the bidding of fat cat developers had planned to grow a "power center" with high ticket real estate. But that was government assistance the state GOP wanted. Now they are cutting the jobs of the people who handle people who have lost their jobs! No fooling. They are cutting the jobs of people who assist those who need it. Not, Republicans. They've cut mental health agencies, child and adult protective agencies, welfare jobs, disability employment jobs and those kinds of jobs. In the meantime it seems the "stimulus money" is paying for bankers, developers and all the people who have more to fall back on than any of the people who are served by the agencies cut by state government. But there is a silver lining...private contracts to replace much of the state services that were cut.
I heard today that the state is giving an adios motherf*&^%r slip to all the state employees who are janitors. Whatever will the state do you ask? The plan is to put the janitorial services out on private contract. Lucrative? Oh, hey'll yes!!!!
That's "stimulus package" at state level in a state that is very hard pressed to make ends meet. Stimulus package = shell game = continued redistribution of wealth.
