Federal and State Budget Cuts Push the Pain Down to the Local Level

Spending Cuts Cascade Down to Local Level. (Wisconsin Budget Project, 8/3/2011)

Excerpt:  Both the federal government and the state government are reducing spending, in large part by shifting costs to other levels of government. Faced with cascading cuts in spending, local governments have fewer options and are facing the possibility of having to make steep cuts in areas important to keeping our communities safe, well-functioning, and economically viable.

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At the federal and state levels, governments have the ability to push some of the pain of budget cuts down a level. Local governments don’t have that option. Instead they will have to make drastic cutbacks that will have detrimental effects on our safety, our local economies, and our quality of life.

Required reading

Milwaukee Public Library Laptop Program

Milwaukee Public Library rolls out new laptop program. (OnMilwaukee.com, 7/26/2011)

Excerpt:  Thanks to both the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and a Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant, six Milwaukee Public Library locations have laptops available for on-site check-out. Included in the grant are improvements for broadband service at all 13 MPL locations.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to expand access to technology and the Internet in communities where home access is limited," said library director Paula Kiely.

"With these laptops, the number of computers available has more than doubled at each participating library, giving customers greater ability to search for jobs, develop their computer skills, search for information and connect to the vast resources found online."

Six MPL branches will each have 40 laptops available for library patron use.

Slow Clap for Congress on the Debt Deal

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