State Budget Crises: New York, Texas for Starters
Last week in Albany, N.Y., in a scene likely to be repeated in state capital after state capital this year, thousands of state workers and their supporters took to the streets to protest proposed massive budget cuts in health care, education and other vital services.
As we reported last month, nearly every state faces billions of dollars in deficits because of the belly-up economy. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that for the remainder of fiscal year 2009, plus 2010 and 2011, 44 states face a total estimated deficit of $350 billion.
That means states are faced with the tough choices of cutting vital services, laying off workers or raising taxes.
