Anti-stimuli

From Off the Charts:

States and localities cut 22,000 jobs in the past month, wiping out half the month’s gain in private-sector jobs (Matthew Yglesias highlights this issue as well). In total, state and local governments have cut 231,000 jobs, including 100,000 local education jobs, since the summer of 2008.

Years ago, I recall hearing an economist say that one of the reasons that we couldn't have another Great Depression was because a higher percentage of workers were in the public sector and, of course, those job wouldn't go away in an economic downturn.

I really wish I could remember that economist's name.