Dealing with the Consequences of an Economy Gone Sour

Link to October 16 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article, "Oppressive debt forces governments - and West Bend schools - to make tough choices".

Excerpt:    But nowhere is the squeeze more evident than in West Bend, home to the state's 20th-largest school district as well as one of its highest unemployment rates and a fervent anti-tax sentiment that makes budget-cutting the only apparent option.

The article ends on this downbeat note, a scenario that the library community knows all too well.

The consequences are upon us. Three years ago, six librarians served West Bend's six elementary schools; this year, one librarian remains.

Next year, there likely will be none.

LINK

Perhaps recent developments are not just an outcome of a society "living beyond its means", as the reporter seems to indicate in his opening sentence.