Ala. county prepares for government shutdown

[celticlord]

My Way News - Ala. county prepares for government shutdown

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - As a government shutdown loomed, residents of Alabama's most populous county lined up Friday to renew their car registrations and settle their tax bills.

By Monday, at least a quarter of the county's 3,600 employees will be on unpaid leave and many county offices will be closed or cutting back hours.


The county, with 640,000 residents, has been on the brink of filing the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy for the past year due to a sewer bond fiasco that remains unresolved. Then things got worse: A judge ruled the county's occupational tax is illegal and courts refused to let the county spend the revenue from it while officials appeal.

This is what is happening today. Dear Leader's "stimulus" plan won't give any relief until tomorrow.


Yet more evidence that Dear Leader's "stimulus" plan is not working, nor will it work in time to have any good effect.

 

[Oftencold]

I agree with those who say that it was never intended to work, that the object was and is to create further dependence.

This whole recession has been like giving someone a haircut by searing their scalp.

 

[Wiseone]

A judge ruled the county's occupational tax is illegal and courts refused to let the county spend the revenue from it while officials appeal.

That's because Obama's stimulus plan isn't working? Frankly I don't believe its fair to criticize the stimulus bill for not doing something it was never intended to do, like prevent local government's from going bankrupt.

 

[celticlord]

That's because Obama's stimulus plan isn't working? Frankly I don't believe its fair to criticize the stimulus bill for not doing something it was never intended to do, like prevent local government's from going bankrupt.

The Stimulus Plan: A Detailed List of Spending - ProPublica
Aid to State and Local Governments: $58,355,000,000

So where's the money?

 

[Wiseone]

Firstly I think you should remember its the job of Congress to spend money, not the Executive or the President himself.
Secondly, I didnt see anything in that mentioned Jefferson County Alabama or assistance to counties that have defaulted on their bonds, in this case 3.9 billion in bonds for sewers alone. Just because a section is labeled "Aid to State and Local Government" doesn't mean everyone is going to get some of that money, if there even is enough to go around, or that everyone in "need" of federal funds meets criteria for them.

Lastly I looked up Jefferson County on Wikipedia, because like hell I was digging up public records on this site, Jefferson County, Alabama Free Public Records Directory and try to piece together exactly what happened.

From Wikipedia I did some more digging around and its pretty clear from these websites:
Jefferson County, Alabama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
JPMorgan May Be Sued by SEC Over Alabama Bond Deals (Update2) - Bloomberg.com
Alabama Policy Institute :: Jefferson County on Verge of Making Bankruptcy History
Alabama County Is Center of Muni Turmoil as Debt Cut (Update1) - Bloomberg.com
And this line from the article you provided.
Jefferson County legislators, who could not agree on a new tax during the regular session earlier this year, met Tuesday to try to reach a consensus. The old tax provided some $75 million annually, about one-third of the county's budget. A judge, however, ruled that the tax was repealed by a law passed in 1999. That's one third of their budget, or 33%, gone.

THAT, Jefferson County is responsible for its own damn mess, because of decisions that looked bad and overly risking even in growth periods let alone a recession.

AND unless you find a line in the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" or "Stimulus plan" which specifically mentions helping Jefferson County, AL or a line/paragraph which describes a situation that Jefferson County could reasonably fit into and another line/paragraph which promises money to local governments in the aforementioned described situation, you really have no argument that the Stimulus plan isn't working based on Jefferson County, AL.

Just for the record, I'm not fan of the stimulus pan either but like credit you have to give blame where blame is due and here it isn't.

 

[Wiseone]

O by the way nice link for the Stimulus breakdown I'm going to use that myself in the future.

 

[celticlord]

AND unless you find a line in the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" or "Stimulus plan" which specifically mentions helping Jefferson County, AL or a line/paragraph which describes a situation that Jefferson County could reasonably fit into and another line/paragraph which promises money to local governments in the aforementioned described situation, you really have no argument that the Stimulus plan isn't working based on Jefferson County, AL.

I have the best argument: Jefferson County is where there is need, and the "stimulus" plan fails to address that need.

If we are going to have economic stimulus, if we simply must engage in this national act of economic eccentricity, then we should at least make an effort to shovel the newly printed money towards those areas of the country where there is greatest need. This "stimulus" plan fails to do that.

The "stimulus" plan is not working because it does not address the very real economic and financial crises that are occurring throughout the country. Jefferson County's ongoing woes demonstrate that quite handily--it is a problem the "stimulus" plan should have addressed, and does not.

Also, the argument that Jefferson County created its own problems and therefore should be left hanging flies in the face of the entire economic policy of Dear Leader's administration. General Motors (now GovernmentMotors) created its own problems, and received truckloads of cash. Wall Street created its own problems and received its own damn monetary printing press!

I detest the idea of stimulus. As economic policy, stimulus is a 100% proven failure. My argument would always be for no stimulus, no bailouts. However, to bail out the chosen few while ignoring the vast remainder of those in need is an economic injustice of the worst magnitude.

 

[Wiseone]

I have the best argument: Jefferson County is where there is need, and the "stimulus" plan fails to address that need.

If we are going to have economic stimulus, if we simply must engage in this national act of economic eccentricity, then we should at least make an effort to shovel the newly printed money towards those areas of the country where there is greatest need. This "stimulus" plan fails to do that.

The "stimulus" plan is not working because it does not address the very real economic and financial crises that are occurring throughout the country. Jefferson County's ongoing woes demonstrate that quite handily--it is a problem the "stimulus" plan should have addressed, and does not.

Also, the argument that Jefferson County created its own problems and therefore should be left hanging flies in the face of the entire economic policy of Dear Leader's administration. General Motors (now GovernmentMotors) created its own problems, and received truckloads of cash. Wall Street created its own problems and received its own damn monetary printing press!

I detest the idea of stimulus. As economic policy, stimulus is a 100% proven failure. My argument would always be for no stimulus, no bailouts. However, to bail out the chosen few while ignoring the vast remainder of those in need is an economic injustice of the worst magnitude.

I agree with you for the most part, I don't believe this stimulus plan is doing what needs to be done but I do believe a stimulus is needed. However its wrong to say that stimulus is 100% proven failure, its certainly not a solution in an economic or fiscal, which is what this really is, crisis on its own.

My biggest compliant is that many of the programs aren't directed towards individual successful (ie not GM) companies. Its businesses that create jobs not the government, all the government needs to do to insure there is employment is to insure businesses are able and willing to employ. This is why the first part of FDR's many plans didn't work for the most part, they were all about the government hiring people directly or providing funding to businesses solely for hire even though the many businesses had no demand(need) for that labor. As in they were satisfying the demand for their products/services with whatever labor they had already.

However the second part(WW2) was directed solely at business and the purpose was for that business to do something, so in other words the gov't was no different than a customer who gives a business money in return for a product/service. So for example GM might be producing 100 cars a year which satisfies demand for its customers while employing 100 people but it leaves another 100 unemployed simply because its not producing enough cars(product) to justify hiring some of those extra 100. Then WW2 gets into full swing and the gov't goes to GM and places an order for 100 tanks, well Gm doesn't have the workers to build those cars and those tanks so it goes to that extra 100 and hires them. Now thats very simplistic but its the general idea, a stimulus should do what we did in WW2 for the economy, stimulate it by picking up the slack the normal consumers leave behind and then adding to that.

Anyway back to the original debate, you still have to find part of this bill that a reasonable reader would take to mean Congress is planning to give money to counties like Jefferson. Otherwise even though you and me disagree on what the Stimulus is doing, we can't say that is isn't working(as in its not doing what it said it would in the bill, not that is isn't stimulating the economy) based on Jefferson County's sewer bonds being in the toilet. And that pun is 100% intentional.

 

[Kernel Sanders]

I have the best argument: Jefferson County is where there is need, and the "stimulus" plan fails to address that need.

If we are going to have economic stimulus, if we simply must engage in this national act of economic eccentricity, then we should at least make an effort to shovel the newly printed money towards those areas of the country where there is greatest need. This "stimulus" plan fails to do that.

The "stimulus" plan is not working because it does not address the very real economic and financial crises that are occurring throughout the country. Jefferson County's ongoing woes demonstrate that quite handily--it is a problem the "stimulus" plan should have addressed, and does not.

Also, the argument that Jefferson County created its own problems and therefore should be left hanging flies in the face of the entire economic policy of Dear Leader's administration. General Motors (now GovernmentMotors) created its own problems, and received truckloads of cash. Wall Street created its own problems and received its own damn monetary printing press!

I detest the idea of stimulus. As economic policy, stimulus is a 100% proven failure. My argument would always be for no stimulus, no bailouts. However, to bail out the chosen few while ignoring the vast remainder of those in need is an economic injustice of the worst magnitude.

If the stimulus was solving this county's problems it would be worse than it already is. This town doesn't need a stimulus, it needs a bailout. And unless you want a sizeable fraction of the GDP sent over to California, it's good that the federal government isn't bailing out local governments

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

My Way News - Ala. county prepares for government shutdown




This is what is happening today. Dear Leader's "stimulus" plan won't give any relief until tomorrow.


Yet more evidence that Dear Leader's "stimulus" plan is not working, nor will it work in time to have any good effect.

If you've ever been to Birmingham you'll notice that the county laying people off will have no noticeable effect.

That is the slowest metropolitan city on earth.