The year of the pink slips

The destruction of NC state government shifts into overdrive:

The halls of the Juvenile Justice office on Hammond Road were eerily quiet Friday, with many work spaces dark. Overnight, 266 positions were eliminated in the department. The 120 people who lost their jobs included the school superintendent, nurses, social workers and human resources staff.

As someone who found himself unemployed after dedicating 18 years to a (private) organization, my heart is breaking for these folks. And when I think of the collective knowledge and experience we're losing, thanks to some ass-backwards, anti-government, no-oxygen-to-the-brain weed-roots movement, well. That makes me despair for our future.

The job cuts are across state government. The Department of Revenue lost 91 employees and another 84 vacant positions. The Department of Correction lost 81 workers, while the Department of Crime and Public Safety lost 46, including 19 from the Highway Patrol.

Yeah, it does seem stupid. But make no mistake, the Republicans win coming and going. Because when normally objective citizens (and voters) receive less than stellar services from agencies that have been cut to the bone, who are they going to blame? Republican Legislators who live in a free market fantasy world? No. They'll blame that person who's trying to do the job of three, and not the mismanagers who laid the groundwork.