One of the weirder aspects of the economic narrative that now exists in the US, especially in the 2012 presidential race, involves the size and shape of government.<\/p>\n
Economists point out that since September of 2008 — in other words, through the entire Obama administration — local government employment has declined by 535,000 jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n That trend continued last month, with another 34,000 positions slashed from schools, as well as local and county governments.\u00a0 (Many of these cuts were triggered by cuts in Federal aid, following the end of stimulus programs.)<\/p>\n Teachers have been particularly hard hit.\u00a0 But at the Federal level, postal workers are also facing deep cuts, with an another 5,000 jobs cut last month, with far more postal worker positions on the line.<\/p>\n The Obama administration has also proposed cutting 50,000 soldiers from the Army ranks over the next four years.<\/p>\n I’ve seen various estimates, but it appears that government work still accounts for about one in six jobs in the US.\u00a0 Still, these reductions are beginning to add up to a major shift in America’s culture of work.<\/p>\n It’s also worth noting, that all this slashing hasn’t actually put much of a dent in our deep deficits.\u00a0 In terms of balancing the nation’s books, we’re still at the starting line, which means some tough decisions still lie ahead.<\/p>\n