From America to Zimbabwe, the coming anarchy

[fallout11]

I disagree with your "especially the younger ones" comment.  I know plenty of older folks who have no idea what is going on.  And also if the oldsters are so damn smart, why did they fail to pass on those smarts?

No offense intended.  Younger folks, in general, being alive (or at least mature/adult/not children) for less of the period in question, simply lived through less of it and thereby reducing the timeframe of life experience.  I have no doubt that many older folks are equally, if not more so, blind to the changes, but that is more by personal choice than raw circumstance.  In short, if you weren't alive in the 1970's, it is typically more difficult to notice the slide since the 1970's.   

[Seahorse]

Illinoise is bankrupt.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=32910&seenIt=1

[Broil]

Interesting comments at that link, Seahorse.

[Katie]

Illinoise is bankrupt.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=32910&seenIt=1

Many states cannot go into debt.  That makes things more difficult, but in some ways, much cleaner.  My state, Michigan, is one of those.  You do get to see where you stand much more quickly and corrections have to be made at that point.

[Seahorse]

LA is bankrupt, they just don't realize it yet.

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/01/mayor-of-los-angeles-says-bankruptcy-is.html

In the article, it talks about how the City is planning on laying off thousands of workers (more unemployed means less gov't services, less consumer spending, more unemployment insurance borrowing by the State whose unemployment fund is already bankrupt so it borrows money from the Fed gov't to pay unemployment benefits).

Keep in mind that not only will LA have to lay off thousands of workers, but it is also releasing 5k felons from jails it can no longer afford to operate.  So, how will that affect the crime rate?  How will that affect the unemployment rate? 

[Broil]

Mexicans make up most of LA's population, Seahorse.  They're used to bankrupt cities with no services and felons on the loose.

[Abhaha]

Mexicans make up most of LA's population, Seahorse.  They're used to bankrupt cities with no services and felons on the loose.

Used to?? As this thing grows and the depression spreads throughout the whole country, it may become something we all have to "get used to".

[Seahorse]

Article reporting various police department layoffs due to budget problems.

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/01/hoschton-georgia-dissolves-police.html

Another article by Mish on Kansas going broke.

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/01/kansas-budget-deep-in-hole-and.html

[Broil]

Mish thinks that "Anything to dump unions would be a good idea."

[Seahorse]

More info on disbanded police departments.

http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/01/growing-movement-to-disband-police.html

[SisterNavajo]

Have most municipalities developed a matrix for the number of personnel needed to carry out services per resident? Especially for police and firemen?

And, if the number of personnel needed to carry out those services isn’t available for whatever reason, what sort of recourse do they have?

It seems like a very slippery slope-

[metaforge]

Nevada's turn....

Governor Jim Gibbons plans to stick with the local economy when he gives his State of the State address on February 8th. Nevada is facing a budget deficit of nearly one-billion dollars, a situation the Governor blames on "higher taxes and the sluggish economy." During that speech, he will also call for a special session of the Legislature to approve budget cuts that would carry the state through June 2011. That could mean reduced or eliminated services, and layoffs of some state workers. Gibbons says the state's budget challenges must be confronted "for the good of every Nevada citizen."

http://www.kxnt.com/Legislative-Session-Called/6207574

$1B may not sound like a lot  ... but keep in mind the population of the whole state is only 2.6M.

[HueyLewis]

Dollar Stores: The Last, and Not So Healthy Eating Choice, Before the Food Lines

Dollar stores are the "hottest and highest growth sectors of retailing."

"Currently nearly 20,000 dollar stores of every variety dot the landscape."

Selling poor-quality "food" to increasingly poor consumers.

I have observed the proliferation of dollar stores here in Mass., I'm sure it's the same all over the USA.

[Broil]

The food, like the merchandise, in dollar stores are not necessarily of poor quality.  Sometimes a name brand changes labels, a line becomes unpopular, or goes out of business, and their products become available at the dollar store.  Sometimes, as with the Del Monte spaghetti sauce I've been getting, the company can make a profit on $1 even if they charge more elsewhere.

Same with the merchandise, some stuff is shoddy and maybe doesn't work from the beginning (electronics, flashlights, hammers) while other stuff (kitchen gadgets, dinnerware, some tools, etc) is perfectly fine and maybe costs a fifth or a tenth as much as elsewhere.

[HueyLewis]

Broil I don't doubt what you say.  I only shipped at one $ store recently to buy cheap Xmas decorations.  I found the article interesting ...  but Alternet certainly exaggerates at times.

It is true though that these stores have proliferated in my parts.