Officials: Indy to face possible financial hit

[timtom]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana officials say the state could weather a financial hit if the U.S. defaults on its loans next week, but they aren't sure for how long and don't have a contingency plan in place.

State Budget Director Adam Horst says the state is in a strong position because of a $1.2 billion surplus and money from the $3.8 billion Indiana Toll Road lease. But he says states are operating in the dark because they aren't sure what the federal government will do or what bills it will pay if a default occurs.

Indiana gets about $9 billion from the federal government each year. The money is primarily used for Medicaid, road construction and education programs.

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/mar...ancial-hit

We had a couple of demonstrations Friday against the cuts. Here is the one that took place in the morning:

Protesters voice opinion on federal debt ceiling debate

Jul 29, 2011

http://photos.indystar.com/galleries/136...ing-debate

As soon as I get the photos from our videographer from the afternoon rally, discussed in Pizza forum, I will post them here.

On edit:
Here is more info on rally organizers:

Quote:This will be the first rally independently organized by the SOCIALIST LEFT in Indianapolis in a very long time. All 3 Socialist groups, the Central Indiana Hapgood Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Greater Indianapolis Socialist Party(SP-USA), and the Ken Appelhans Club Communist Party-USA(more succinctly, DSA, SP, and CP) have cooperated working together to bring this about. Many members from our non-political allies such as Jobs with Justice and UNITE HERE will be here in solidarity with us for this common cause. Our mission is to raise awareness of the only real solution to the country's immediate fiscal crisis--Stop the cuts in social programs, especially Social Security and Medicare. There is plenty to cut in the defense budget and corporate subsidies.

And yes, there IS a revenue side to the equation. Tax the rich. Did you know you paid more in taxes than GE last year? Because they didn't pay ANY! Did you know there's an actual Budget proposed in Congress by the Congressional Progressive Caucus supported by 79 Representatives and 1 Senator that does exactly this? When was the last time you saw Fox News and the rest of the media debating this plan? There will be summaries of it at the rally.

STOP THE CUTS! TAX THE RICH! That's the message, clean and simple.

About Indiana Uncut

More Info Grassroots progressives in Indianapolis have formed INDIANA UNCUT -- modeled after the UK Uncut and US Uncut movements -- with the intention of making the voices of the people heard! We in Indianapolis have been fortunate enough to have a wonderful, progressive member of Congress, Andre Carson, who is committed to opposing cuts to the social safety net -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Student Loans, to name a few -- but in the Central Indiana area, and the rest of the state there are congressman and senators who need to understand that working people will no longer tolerate cuts to these important programs, or the richest among us getting away tax free (or close to it).

ALL THE POLITICIANS NEED TO HEAR OUR VOICES! Our friends like Congressman Carson need to know that his commitment to fairness has strong support. Politicians who have yet to make the same commitment need to know that people at the grassroots expect them to represent the interests of WE THE PEOPLE, or WE THE PEOPLE will get new representatives and senators.

To that end, INDIANA UNCUT has been created. And, to that end, INDIANA UNCUT will be staging the first of many public actions, a Protest for Fairness telling the politicians to HEAR OUR VOICES!


US Uncut is patterned after the No Cuts movement in the UK. Here is their website:


http://www.usuncut.org/

[LiberalFighter]

1. What Horst failed to say is that the $3.8 Indiana Toll Road Lease money

was from 2006. How much of it is still left? How much of that money still left is propping up the state?

How much of the money is from cuts to schools, senior citizens, and others?

[Indianademocrat91]

2. Almost all the State's Budget "surplus"

was from cuts to Medicaid and education. Yet instead of reinvesting the money to help students and the poor, he gives raises to government workers and hordes the rest for a fucking rainy day fund, whatever the hell that is. :mad:

[mh74562]

3. +1

[mbob731325]

4. delete