Across the Lowcountry, across the state, nearly 65,000 state employees will be nervously watching the Statehouse this week as the General Assembly takes either an ax or a scalpel to the state budget.
The Legislature could make across-the-board cuts, or lawmakers could pore through the budget looking to cut things they don’t like.
It’s expected to be messy. Jobs could be lost, careers ended. Some state employees are nervous, others merely paying attention. Still others have heard this song all too often.
The last time the state had budgeting problems, between 2002 and 2004, some 700 state employees lost their jobs, and thousands of others were furloughed. It was a scary time to be a state employee, but this round is even worse. Back then, the economy wasn’t this bad.
State Government is a big employer, and in this current downturn decisions like this are being and will need to be taken across the country.