Another Town Goes Belly-Up
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In my post below I highlighted the recent decision by the North Hudson Finance Committee to dig further into the pockets of taxpayers rather than laying off personnel, which may include police officers. Local towns and villages along with their government employees may want to take note of what is happening around the country.
Last night the capitol city of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, filed for bankruptcy. The effect of such a move is yet to be determined. But Harrisburg is just the latest case of a municipality sinking under the burden of debt caused by fool hardy projects, bloated personnel costs, and declining tax receipts due to declining property values and individual incomes. Instead of cutting needless programs and employees like police sitting in a parking lot looking out for seatbelt violations, local governments continue operating with their head in the sand waiting for pennies from heaven to save them from showing people the city hall, county building, or statehouse door.
The unwillingness to cut government down to its intended purpose has left citizens virtually in the dark or fending for themselves when under attack (like I said before, the police do not really protect). Several Indiana cities are the latest municipalities to the pull the plug on streetlamps in an attempt to save money. Notice in the article below how the Mayors of the cities say nothing of cutting programs or personnel to meet budget deficits.
In Topeka, Kansas is so broke that the District Attorney may not prosecute domestic battery cases. It just so happen that Topeka like Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is a capitol city. Perhaps the DA and the police should worry less about cases like drug abuse, which is an individual choice to ruin their life.
Preceding Harrisburg in potential default is Jefferson County, Alabama where Birmingham is located. Central Falls, Rhode Island also filed for bankruptcy this summer. As part of the petition, Central Falls has asked that collective bargaining agreements be voided and contributions to the pension plan have been suspended, which means the fund will run dry like a town in Alabama where pensioners no longer receive a check.
For local communities in St. Croix County it is past time to get rid of the burden of government. North Hudson can start by eliminating police that waste time sitting in parking lots and harassing citizens instead of protecting them. The same can be said for the city of Hudson. The county needs to ditch the nursing home and personnel in the District Attorney office that waste time with poster contests and drug abusers.
Government leaders need to find the courage to speak out against the waste and needless referendums from local government school districts. How long are the members of the Hudson City Council, North Hudson Village Board, and St. Croix County Board of Supervisors going to allow union thug backed Boards of Education to rape the taxpayers.
Who among Alan Burchill, George Klein, and Daryl Standafer have an ounce of guts to say enough? Do not think for a second that what is happening to Harrisburg, Topeka, Central Falls, or Pritchard cannot come knocking here next. We are waiting.
Related posts:
- More Taxes for the Goons and the Conflicted Daryl Standafer The other night the North Hudson Finance Committee recommended by a vote of 3-1 to increase taxes and avoid pink slipping some police officers. I...
- Steve Dzubay on Bankrupt Town So a town in Rhode Island has filed for bankruptcy, primarily because of generous government pensions and guaranteed healthcare. Check out the man quoted in...
- OneGuy Runs Amok OneGuy, the Hudson high school teacher, has been frequenting various local blogs and making a case for the government workers. OneGuy seems to think we...