Budget cuts at NYPL and fewer hours

@Uraniumfish that's really sad I really wonder how bad are NYC's finances and aren't there any wasteful expenditures which can be curbed instead of resorting to these cuts which are going to affect the residents?

And the employees, too. There will be fewer of them working fewer hours. The NYPL is such a wonderful place, this one makes me sad.

Hey folks, I hate to tell you this, but I did post this in another forum, and you, Uraniumfish, claimed I was overexaggerating things, with the city's finances. The fact is this city is nearly broke. They are 45 billion dollars in debt. When Bloomberg related the budget for 2010 and 2011, he said NYC was 45 billion dollars in the rears. Not pretty. So what do you think he did. He laid off nearly 235 teachers, a bunch of cops and firefighters, and raised property taxes. This is why many businesses are closing their doors. They can't pay the high rents and taxes.

I talked to a friend of mine who has direct connections to the city's controller, and he told me NYC is about to go bankrupt if they don't get funding from Albany. Do you know how long it took for NYC to recover from the last bankruptcy case in the '70s. Let's hope that does not happen.

I'm at the New York Public Library at 33rd Street (the business and science library) all the time. It's a great resource and I hope they don't cut back hours. Every time I'm there I always think how wonderful it is that so many resources are made available to the public for free. And it looks like maybe not any more! Too bad, really.

Yeah, great resources like the library have to be cut, only because the city government doesn't know how to balance their budget properly. They don't mind spending it. What happened to saving money now and then.

@hhusted you're so right! I remember when Bloomberg was elected mayor for the second time around, people were really happy because he was running the city like a professional company alas that doesn't seem to be case now does it?

I don't think firing 235 teachers is going to save the city the billions it needs to balance its budget. Obviously the big money deficits are elsewhere for the city, and cutting back on a few librarians' hours is pennies in the bucket. which is why I think they need to lay off the public works! Those few public services we have help improve the quality of life for EVERYONE, and ultimately, they are not THAT expensive.

@uraniumfish even though I agree with your post I seem to recall that government jobs in the city offer a wide number of benefits which are now being considered a burden. I tried to look for that specific article but couldnt find it but here's another one just to give you an idea-
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/governmentjobs/a/empbenefits.htm
Last year a friend of mine lost his job at Citibank where he had worked for years, soon after he found employment at the NY Port Authority. Now his wife doesnt want him to go back to banking because the security this job offers. Another friend was laid off from Barclays Capital and now works at the Federal Reserve..so government jobs are now being coveted by those who previously worked at private sector organizations for their security and benefits.

No doubt a government job is the gig to have in bad economic times. I was talking to a woman in my social circle recently who works for the city and she was complaining about how boring her job is and how unfulfilled she feels--and I thought, " compared to many other people, you have it good, lady!"

Yes, Uraniumfish, that lady does have it good compared to the many people laid off right now. Shoot, if I needed a job, and had the chance to work for the government, I would considering not only the wages per hour, but also the benefits as well. The benefits alone rack up to hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars a year.

If the government laid off about 1000 city employees, they would save at least 45 to 50 million a year, and maybe even more. That is just a rough guess, If I did the actual calculation, I would probably be off by plenty.

Yowch - that's really unfortunate. Libraries are such important community centres - ESPECIALLY when unemployment/etc are problems - they offer computer and information technology skills classes, seminars, plus, of course - books! - all things New Yorkers need now more than eve.r

That is why we have to protest. We need to stand up to government and tell them not to cut such services. If we put enough pressure on the city and state government to come up with the money, I am sure they will do it. At least I am hopeful they will.

That's what I'm saying! This is about quality of life for everyone, and the people who have to balance the budget are going to just have to try a little harder to come up with a better solution. This one's NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

@Uraniumfish this is the easy way out for them cutbacks and fare increases constitute a gravy train for the city! I too love the NYPL , I actually did go to some of their free tech instruction classes when I first moved here.

On lighter note look what a particular protest resulted in-http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/02/12/06/1128-82/index.xml
maybe BroadwayBK should find a cause worth protesting and she might meet a like minded soul...

I read the story, uptowngirl, and it was so sweet. Such a loving story. Hey, there's a benefit to protesting.

I love how everyone is set on finding me a man. You guys are too lovely for words.

Super charming.

Excellent story, guys! Made my day.

In the original article posted by Uraniumfish, they say that they will try to make the cuts in library hours as "minimally invasive" as possible. So I guess they're trying to make cuts as sensitively as they can. If anyone feels better from that news.

@uptowngirl A cause you believe in is a great way to meet the parson of your dreams. That was good reading. Makes me want to go out and start a revolution or something.

Just trying to help, BroadwayBK. We are a community here. So we need to look out for each other and help when we can. Don't everyone agree?

@hhusted yes I second that..