Lawmakers question budget-cutting tactics
by Mary Jo Pitzl - Feb. 22, 2009 12:00 AMThe Arizona Republic
Hundreds of state workers have lost their jobs and hundreds more have been sent home without pay to cope with the state budget deficit.
Child Protective Services workers are bracing for larger caseloads, while parents with disabled children have been cut off from services. Meal deliveries for shut-ins and the elderly are dwindling.
Budget cuts being carried out this month have forced the immediate closure of state parks and sparked talk of shutting down university campuses. And that's just the beginning.
Lawmakers three weeks ago closed the $1.6 billion deficit, largely by making lump-sum cuts to state agencies. They said they trusted agency directors, with their intimate knowledge of state programs, to make the specific cuts.
In other words, you figure out where to cut spending…but do it.
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