The (California) Furlough Friday Ripple Effect

[marmar]

AP via SFGate:



Government furloughs felt among capital businesses
By SAMANTHA YOUNG, Associated Press Writer

Saturday, February 7, 2009


(02-07) 03:20 PST Sacramento, Calif. (AP) -- Many businesses in the state capital were noticeably quiet as tens of thousands of California government workers stayed home Friday.

In this government town, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's order requiring state employees to take two unpaid days off a month is likely to dent local businesses that rely on government workers.

Mitesh and Kavita Bulsara, who own the Bean Trees coffee shop about a block from the Capitol building, saw just a quarter of their regular customers Friday morning. At midmorning, the cafe was deserted.

"We have to pay the bills so we need to stay open, but my bills don't go down by that percent so I don't know how it's going to work out," Kavita Bulsara said.

Just four customers ventured into Chicory Coffee and Tea shop in the first two hours, well below the 50 who typically swing by for their morning caffeine fix. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/02/07/national/a032033S50.DTL&tsp=1

[SoCalDem]

1. It's all linked...and once the spiral starts, it just goes faster

and more people get sucked into the vortex..

That's the fatal flaw in a "service" economy...

Service economies only "work" when people have ample money and time to access those services, but we cannot be a vital economy if 70% of our economy consists of doing each other's nails & hair, serving food & beverages to each other, selling Chinese-made goods to each other, etc.

"Services" are things that we all appreciate, but CAN do without.. We CAN cook and serve our own food, we CAN change our own oil, we CAN do our own hair, we CAN make do with the clothes/shoes we already have. We do not HAVE to buy our coffee out..we can brew and bring our own..ame with lunches out..we can bring our lunch, or just skip it..

Everything in that service "chain" has an employee attached at the OTHER end..an employee who's no longer needed, if WE quit using those services..

[Jackpine Radical]

3. We CAN do our own brain surgery...

[SoCalDem]

4. It might come to that

:rofl:

[Earth_First]

5. Call 1-800-DOCTORB

The B is for Bargain!



Buh-bye everybody!

[msongs]

2. dems and repubs in the CA legislature need to be fired for not doing their jobs nt

[coalition_unwilling]

6. Dems passed a budget about

3 months ago, but Schwarze-nazi vetoed it.