MoDOT Is Officially Closing Offices

With a week full of big national news that I am personally getting tired of hearing about, I decided to try to focus my blog on something more local this time.  I do not make that statement out of disrespect, because I am truly greatful for this big step in the right direction.  However, I just am tired of hearing all the bickering and fussing between the political parties over who receives credit for the happenings and so forth.  This week I have noticed that the headlines for this area have focused quite a bit on the fact that MoDOT may be closing it Joplin offices doors.  I saw the front page of The Joplin Globe this week that stated that the doors to 135 MoDOT offices, including the Joplin office were indeed going to be closed, and also many employees were going to lose their jobs as a result of this.  From what I understand, this is the results of a massive budget cut that the state is suffering from.  The budget is being cut by $512 million by 2015.  MoDOT making cuts  Not only is this going to result in approximately 1200 individuals losing jobs.  The number employed will go from approximately 6300 to 5100 when this is all said and done.  MoDOT to reconstruct  Additionally, there is also going to be something like 740 pieces of equipment sold as well.  This seems like a bad thing as well because there will be less equipment available to take care of our roads in the winter.  This would also mean that some of the projected projects may get completed at much slower paces than originally thought. Although, they state that we citizens should not see any changes in the up keeping of the roads in the winter, I cannot help but wonder.  I know that Neosho has seen bad times with their roads when the County could not afford enough products to take care of all the roads, so in my mind, I just see the state being that way as well.  This cut is expected to save approximately $500 million from what news reports have stated.  MoDOT closing offices to help the budget

I just feel for all the employees that are going to be out of employment.  I have never quite understood how unemployed people help the economy, and why the layoffs.  Also, along with all of these changes are going to be new district lines.  These lines are going to be drawn for the first time since 1922.  I do not know what all changing district lines will result in, but hopefully it does not end up in a change of counties for me because that would be something else to get fixed, seeing how I just got everything switched over from moving from Newton County to Jasper County.  I hope everything turns out for the best for everyone involved and for us as well.