The US Postal Service is trying to deal with its $8.5 billion loss from last year, and nobody likes to be victimized by spending cuts. Boone postal workers protested in solidarity with fellow workers who would be directly affected by the consolidation of the Hickory and Greensboro distribution faciliites. The move would relocate approximately 40 workers and save the USPS $5.7 million annually. Applying multipliers, some estimate 200 jobs would be lost indirectly.
The state senate is trying to close its $2.4 billion budget gap with, of all things, spending cuts. That has outraged educators who protested in Raleigh Tuesday. Reportedly, public school funding would be reduced by 9%. Teacher jobs would be protected, but programs and teaching assistant positions would be cut. Per pupil spending would fall four notches to 50th in the US – if other states are not taking similar measures.
One online commentator observed the rallies and protests paralleled those occurring in Greece, Spain, and other third-world countries where overextended governments had arrived at the logical conclusion to their spending sprees.
