Where do all these stimulus-funded jobs go when the money dries up?

More on that in a moment on the Face The State Radio Minute.

Englewood police officer Patrick Dunn loves the stimulus package. He has good reason, as his job on the beat is funded out of the federal slush fund. He told a reporter with 9News, "If it wasn't for the stimulus, I probably wouldn't have been hired." And therein lies the problem. The city doesn't have the cash to grow its workforce, but because Washington has promised easy cash they're printing help-wanted ads again. But that doesn't mean budgeting rules don't still apply. Officer Dunn's job won't be a freebie forever, and when the cash dries up, he'll be stuck in the lurch. Or, taxpayers will be on the hook for a job the city didn't intend to create. We're avoiding tough choices now, but the bill always comes due eventually.

I'm Brad Jones.