Hundreds of millions of dollars meant to provide a little relief to the nation’s struggling homeowners is being diverted to plug state budget gaps. In a budget proposed this week, California joined more than a dozen states that want to help close gaping shortfalls using money paid by the nation’s biggest banks and earmarked for…
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And meanwhile in Greece…
Rising to the fore as the country’s second-most popular party was Syriza, a coalition of left-leaning parties that promised to keep Greece in the euro and, among other things, increase wages, halt public sector layoffs and repudiate Greece’s debt. For the guardians of the monetary union in Europe — not to mention Greece’s political establishment…
Tens of Thousands Protest Austerity in Spain – NYTimes.com
European cities continue to see huge protests over austerity, perhaps now bolstered by political gains in France and elsewhere. U.S. media coverage of Greece and Spain continues to be sparse, and there has been little follow-up after the French election. Tens of Thousands Protest Austerity in Spain – NYTimes.com.
Budget cuts hamper Washington State’s battle against whooping cough epidemic
The response to the epidemic has been hampered by the recession, which has left state and local health departments on the front lines of defense weakened by years of sustained budget cuts. Here in Skagit County, about an hour’s drive north of Seattle — the hardest-hit corner of the state, based on pertussis cases per…
Montclair, New Jersey: small town battle over the budget
Montclair, NJ is a small (37,000+), fairly affluent and diverse town in New Jersey, with views of the Manhattan skyline. The town has a three-way mayoral race underway that seems to hinge on debates over whether the town needs to trim spending on social programs, such as preschool and libraries. A “liberal” town, having the same…