| By Bob Weaver
While West Virginian's may blame their elected officials for poor management, and
there's blame to go around, but the decline in taxpayer revenue has spread across
America.
Red ink is flowing in virtually every state government that is trying to balance a
budget and maintain services.
One economic indicator says new hiring is down, the worst in the past 20 years.
Some say longer.
A dramatic jump in budget shortfalls have skyrocketed by 50% in the past few
months. The National Conference of State Legislatures expect the situation to get
worse.
Look forward to cuts in health care, education and social services.
States are scrambling to increase taxes and raise fees, mostly "sin taxes" and
embracing gambling as a primary source of revenue. In West Virginia, a 55 cent tax
per pack of cigarettes is anticipated.
The overall state budget shortfalls are projected to reach $27.7 billion this year and
jump to $68.5 billion next year, but it could be much higher.
The faltering economy is partially linked to corporate stealing, with the American
people losing between $400-$500 billion. Hundreds of thousands of investors, small
business people and workers lost their savings, investments, retirement programs
and jobs with the failure of Enron, WorldCom and a dozen other companies.
The sagging stock market and soaring health care costs, including unaffordable
prescription drugs, have been added to the mix.
"Decent" jobs are disappearing faster than they can be created, replaced by low-end
service jobs.
Manufacturing jobs are leaving America by the hundreds of thousands, going to
other countries for cheap labor, the result of globalization, NAFTA, GATT and world
"trade."
Many of the state's financial problems are related to unemployment, low wages and
no new jobs - not generating the taxes necessary to keep their governments
churning.
In West Virginia more people are working for government and retail outlets, both of
which depend on other wage earners.
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