One of the techniques used to weather “freezes” and “reduced-spending” at the university where I worked was to declare positions that were “planned,” but not yet “filled,” as “cut.”

I once read in the local newspaper that a state budget crisis had forced my department to “cut” 12 faculty positions — about a quarter of the entire professoriate. Nobody currently employed was affected.

I wonder how many “jobs created” in Washington, DC, will now be “frozen” or even “cut?” Probably millions.