The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Washington, D.C.:
Shining Light on Budget Cuts

Aug 5, 2013

People in Washington, D.C. are noticing hundreds of lamps lighting the scaffolding over the Washington Monument at night. This expensive show is part of a fifteen million dollar deal to repair damage from the 2011 earthquake. You could think the parks have survived the recession.

But 10% of the Mall’s maintenance positions are vacant and will not be filled. The free concerts at Fort Dupont and Carter Barron are being cut to only five total this summer, down by ten from last year. The National Arboretum is closed Tuesday through Thursday.

These cuts are part of 183 million dollars slashed from the federal National Parks Service budget in 2013. Nationally there are 900 fewer full time parks workers and 1,000 fewer seasonal workers, and less money for travel, supplies, and equipment.

All those pricey lights downtown don’t make up for these brutal cuts in services and jobs.