Judge Michael Silverstein will allow the first state shut down day to occur on Friday, September 4th.  Of course, the state employee unions aren't happy, and they plan on appealing the decision to the State Supreme Court. 

     There has been a lot of anger directed at Governor Carcieri on this issue.  In my opinion, it is misdirected.  The General Assembly passed a budget calling for savings, and the Governor's powers are rather limited in comparison.  They knew full well that furloughs or layoffs were a distinct possibility, yet I hear hardly a soul criticize them on this issue.  Their plan worked perfectly: Throw it all on Don Carcieri, allow him to become the public face of the problem and take all of the blame.

     Before you accuse me of supporting the Governor merely because we are members of the same party, I'd like to say that I actually think the Governor is mishandling the situation.  He has stated that if furloughs aren't allowed, he will have to resort to layoffs.  In light of the state's dire financial predicament, he actually should have gone with the layoffs. 

     Most logical people realize that the state's financial picture is going to continue to deteriorate.  Furlough days are just a temporary solution, while layoffs would significantly cut expenses in future years.  The state's work force has been cut dramatically over the past few years, but it is painfully obvious that we cannot afford to maintain what we have.