Thursday, January 26, 2012
"Fox 6 News-Bye-Bye Street Lights"
RacineUncovered.org has a video of last night's TV 6 spot on the removal of streetlights in Racine: http://racineuncovered.org/2012/01/fox-6-news-bye-bye-street-lights/
I worry that one big snowstorm, like last year's, will paralyze most of Racine for a week because of cutbacks in snowplowing.
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13 comments:
It will, even though we haven't had a lot of snow, the money that came to help out with the snowstorm is from the General Contingency Fund.. The same fund that just 2 or so short months ago, the common council voted to ok taking $100,000 from to pay for outside legal expenses.
Care must be taken so that the message is that expenses need to be controlled, NOT services cut.
It is the expense of Employees and their benefits that is the major part of the spending problem - NOT streetlights. Services and Employees can remain the same, or even improve by making the piece of the pie that each Employee receives a little smaller.
That is VERY reasonable and in line with the deflation in wages/benefits being experienced in the private sector. Time for the public employees to get a taste of reality.
There is NO justification for $100,000 + employees in the City of Racine.
Of course there is no justification for $100K employees in Racine, but justice has nothing to do with it. It is corruption, greed, and cronyism that damns this city.
Pig "leaders" ride on the backs of the citizens, diverting money to their friends, taking it away from those who deserve it. I hear that Becker is still visited regularly in prison by some of our common council members. Pedophilia runs deep and strong in Racine, protected by our "leaders."
And just how many city employees make $100,000 a year?
I don't have a copy of the report, but one was released in the last year. I believe we have a few. Donnie Snow was one, but he just retired. Friedel's pay and perks put him over $100K.
The big thing is for the government to spend every last dime they have so that they can ask for more. RU reports that Racine spent the last of a bioterrorism grant on T-shirts and junk just to use up the funds. That is what government does with the money you work so hard to earn. They will throw it away if necessary just to get more and more. My God, can it get more perverse?
"There are about 150 city positions that are paid, through salaries and benefits, more than $100,000 a year."
Read more: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/proposal-to-review-city-positions-paying-over-stalls/article_ae902482-2521-11e1-b6da-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1kaw8dlbB
That's ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY TOO MANY!
There is a list of the Top 25 for 2010 - which doesn't include Benefits posted at ggodmuls.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unisexcar/?saved=1
HOLY SHIT, that almost laughable. Hammes's Tavern Is on that block of Jerome Blvd. Your city Is really screwed up. What else do they have planned? Orb's Is worried about snowplowing. That Is a vital service. It cost the Mayor of Chicago his JOB. Perhaps this will be what It takes to take the current Mayor out of his gravy job.
I just spent 20 minutes typing a rebuttel to Anonymous comment, and my computer locked up. So, In short, ANONYMOUS, your full of It.
The SHORTCOMINGS of the City of Racine Is the fault of CITY financial WASTE. It has NOTHING to do with the City workers out on the streets etc.
Right now, it seems okay to bash public employees. There may be some corruption, some people milking and bilking... that happens everywhere. I am certainly not saying it makes it right, nor should it be allowed to continue. But, as toad said, the problems are not solely due to city workers salaries.
The state reduced the amount of tax money that is coming to cities at the biggest rate EVER in history. The cuts our current Governor and Senate body has made, (your tax dollars) have been given to corporations who already pay less of a percentage in taxes than you do. With this almost dollar-for-dollar trade off in "tax incentives" to corporations, you won't see your personal taxes reduced, and we haven't seen the jobs that were promised out of this. This is all political/power maneuvering and totally BS.
It just about made me sick to hear the state of the state address from Madison, rife with contradictions of what the real people are witnessing in their every day life. Thousands of people are unemployed. Our housing market is despicable. Our classrooms are bulging. People are just starting to see the effects of this with things like less or lack of services, or something as small as streetlights.
People in Wisconsin are hurting. Our cities are hurting.. and they say things have improved. I am sickened at the "let them eat cake" philosophy that is being spewed. Budgets should not be balanced on the backs of the middle class or by leaving lower paying, hard working people without decent medical options. The cost and hurt should be equally distributed.
I'm tired of being attacked when I say how I feel. If you want to argue, use a name. I won't respond to anonymous.
KK DIther says: "I'm tired of being attacked when I say how I feel."
I've reviewed my comments and couldn't find an attack in any of them. If you feel I have attacked you - please point it out.
Sharing an opinion and a point of view is not an attack - and not a personal attack at that - not by a long shot.
Pointing out that your opinion is, well, just that, and that not all share your opinion, that is not an attack.
You want some facts - well, 76% of the City of Racine budget is salaries and benefits - that is where you make the cuts. The cuts have been happening, and continue to happen, in the private sector. It is the public employees who are being selfish and refuse to participate in SHARED SACRIFICE.
Here are a few facts to consider about city spending-it actually went up in 2012 to $196 million, it was $193 M in 2011.
Racine Post did a story in 2009 about city salaries. 75% of full time staff made 50k a year or higher. Where else in Racine can you find a job that pays $24 an hour or higher?
Anonymous, ONE example of CITY waste. They did NOT let a bid out for the Festival Site. That my friend equals a waste of money.
Toad-you are right about Festival Hall-almost 400k contract per year and not bid out. They bid out North Beach Oasis when it was worth about 11K a year. Talk about a double standard.
The average daily rental fee collected at Festival is $185. It is sitting empty most days. They want $2,100 a day to rent out the main hall at Festival. They are clueless-they are charging the same rate for weekdays and weekends. They don't even have a rate card available. Amateur.
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