Academic

In case you missed it, the Wall Street Journal has an article about state budget deficits (indicating that state governments are predicting budget gaps totaling some $100 billion) as well as a list of states and their predicted budget shortfalls for the 2008-2009 fiscal year.  It is no surprise that California tops the list (by far) with an estimated $31 billion shortfall, making New York's $6.4 billion gap seem small in comparison.  Though it is clear from the list that many states are feeling the impact of the economic downturn.  Maryland has an estimated $1.1 billion deficit.  One proposed plan in Maryland for addressing the deficit is mandatory furloughs for state employees, pursuant to which about 67,000 state employees would be required to take from two to five days of unpaid leave in order to save an estimated $34.4 million.