Utah's vulnerable (home, unemployment, income)

[Aerorick]

I just heard of potential lay-off's with our county road department due to the gas prices. Or at least a serious reduction in road repair and improvements due to the price of asphalt. Remember asphalt is the bottom of the barrel after extracting gasoline and higher quality things from oil. My impression of local government services and Utah in general is that they've been run on a shoestring for years and it's managed to get by. But with the price of oil rising and not likely to drop much it's going to be interesting to see were Utah is going to cut services AND the welfare (state medical, food subsidies for "single" mothers with six kids) that's supported a sizable part of the state's population for years. Not to mention subsidizing employers who don't have to offer medical if they keep wages down to poverty levels. The state's unemployment might be low but also are the wages. And the long tradition of keeping them low might be coming home to roost since the income tax on $10-12/hr only goes so far.