Sign of Things to Come

I received a release developed by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, dated July 18, 2011, which, to me, is an example of what I see will be the trend across the country as our budgets become impossible to balance. 

It reads in part:

"San Francisco—Two hundred San Francisco Superior Court employees will receive their 60-day layoff notices this week as the Court prepares for an unprecedented dismantling of court operations with far-reaching public impacts.

The civil justice system in San Francisco is collapsing, and we will prioritize criminal, juvenile, and other matters that must, by law, be adjudicated within time limits. Beyond that, justice will neither be swift nor accessible.

For instance:  Paying a traffic ticket or a criminal fine could take hours of standing in line, as fewer windows will be open. Obtaining criminal and civil records will take months. Obtaining a divorce will take at least one and half years. Reduced hours in all clerks offices are just a few of the circumstances, with a warning that in the next fiscal year, we will be facing even further cuts even though we will have laid off 40 percent or more of our staff."

I write this blog, because I read a lot of news and listen to much discussion on TV and radio, but did not hear one item of this situation before it happened.

So take heed! We are about to run out of money and funding, although I read that the U2 band tour will take in about $700 million, which will include the rebuilding of Busch Stadium, giving a lot of work to locals in the process. But more, it will be a sign of the times, as other entities try to carry on.