An article from the upcoming NYT Magazine about the budget crises in states and cities across the country:

But what if the burden of municipal woes falls elsewhere than on bondholders? Yes, cities and states have creditors. They also have citizens who rely on their services and who pay the taxes, and they have public employees who are dependent on stable public-sector jobs and often-ample benefits. Whitney isn't wrong about a crisis in local government; the crisis is here. The question is, will it be articulated in terms of bond defaults or larger kindergarten classes — or no kindergarten classes at all? The efforts in Wisconsin and elsewhere to squash organized labor suggest that politicians are no longer so willing to protect public employees. Teachers and nurses are likely to suffer well in advance of investors.

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Broke Town, U.S.A.

By ROGER LOWENSTEIN

Published: March 3, 2011

www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/magazine/06Muni-t.html