Our Governor gave the “state of the State” address yesterday. He’s calling for layoffs of State workers (because there’s nothing like more unemployment to help out a sluggish economy), cuts to State aid for schools, and, oh, I don’t know, probably tax cuts for rich people or something.

Locally, Syracuse University yesterday announced 48 layoffs (in addition to hiring freezes that have been put into effect). Now, 48 people isn’t a huge number for the largest private employer (second overall) still standing around here, but it isn’t so much how many people are getting dumped, but the fact that Syracuse University – which has been around here since 1870 or so – needs to lay off anybody at all.

It’s not as if they’re sending jobs to India (if anything, they insource students and faculty from other countries), or that they’re producing widgets that they can make cheaper in Mexico. Hell, if they need more money, they can just let a few more dumb rich kids from Long Island enroll. They’re in the midst of raising $1 billion to add to their endowment (they’re more than halfway there), and always have their hand out to the alumni (might as well stop sending that crap to our house; I vowed that that $60 late fee on a $30 balance was the last penny they’d ever get from me, and the College of Nursing that Granny got her degree from doesn’t even exist anymore).

So, it’s just kind of a shocking sign of the times that SU would have to lay people off, even if it’s “only” 48 (which, they say, will save them $8 million this year, and $11 million in 2010). The US corporate/fascist economy is a big scam – a house of cards ready to come in the process of crashing down around us, and things aren’t going to be much fun around here (for us regular folks; the rich people – those that weren’t scammed by Bernie Madoff, anyway – shouldn’t have much to worry about, either from our “don’t tax the millionaires” Governor, or our “I’ll play ball with the Republicans on tax cuts” President-elect).

But, until the Gov decides to lay me off, I guess I’d better get off my ass and get ready for work.