"This is the way forward and unions better get used to it. If public unions do not agree to reasonable haircuts now, they can take larger haircuts in bankruptcy court.
All it takes is for one major city to see the light and there will be a cascade of bankruptcies by cities to get out of onerous public union contracts."
Is this the solution for Lake Worth? Not for the short term it isn't. We have a Commission that is under the spell of city staff. In its wisdom it voted to tax and tax and assess and assess the poor residents who live here in order to build up reserves and pay for a fire pension. As these horrendous, unsustainable Union pensions continue to escalate beyond all reason, it might all end when everyone decides to get the hell out of Dodge.
We are being assessed for a pension so out of whack that it defies any sense and we are forced to pay it by the vast majority of people who have NO pension of their own, some hanging on by a thread. And the firefighters who have 3 pensions don't feel the least bit embarrassed. With the memory of 9/11 on television all weekend, they will never get over themselves. A tax revolt, among other remedies, might be in order.
I would have supported our own fire department in order to contain costs if we all were assessed by square footage and if the assessment/tax would have been eliminated once property values go up to support the expense. The problem with assessments and taxes--they rarely are eliminated or go down, i.e. Solid Waste. Staff will always find a justification to screw you or juggle numbers to convince you that a tax is needed. We as citizens do not have that endless cookie jar. Waste in government is covered up and money moved around, taken from all us schmoes.
My house is already up for sale. We say no to taxes. They say yes. Why can't this city be more efficient?
ReplyDeleteI met with Rachel Waterman today and told her the same thing and that I do not want more taxes at this time. I said that I hoped she will not vote for anymore taxes or assessments for us in our city, I feel we have way too many taxes and assessments and do not get anything for them, stop the waste in government, minimize spending, and work with less, but stop taxing us. I do vote and pay taxes and I will not vote for all who allow all this waste and increased taxes. She didn't say one way or the other what she would do. I live in the slummy west downtown area, we have parts without sidewalks or sufficient lighting, we have lots of crime, slumlord properties, whore houses, drug dealers on the streets, and I pay taxes to have all of this, what does the city and the CRA do in our area west of city hall to make it better? Where does my tax money go? I want better representation and I want all the waste to stop. I am tired of paying more taxes and assessments, yet getting less and less. I think the CRA also needs to be held accountable, they get my tax money and they are not doing enough to make significant improvements in this area. I think CRA's should be phased out or dismissed, they do nothing and just want to keep getting money to survive. It is all a huge racket.
ReplyDeleteJoseph--Waterman has already voted for this Budget and therfore agrees to all the tax increases.
ReplyDeleteHow can the City say with a straight face that assessments are needed b/c so many in LW do not pay property taxes? Let's say that is true, I understand you are assessing people who pay nothing in taxes, what about the rest of us who do pay taxes, do we get to deduct the assessment from our taxes? I don't think so. Rather you are raising taxes to fund a pension (which is not appropriate for an assessment).
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