I tend to watch most of my WALB news in the morning. It’s early and not much else is on, and the noise of the TV not only helps break up the silence of 4:30 in the morning, but I also get a run down on local news. It has stories from the 5:30 and 6:00 reports, as well as newer information from during the night. It also has Jim Wilcox’s Viewpoints from time to time.
Now, occasionally I agree with the Viewpoints, and occasionally I don’t. But today’s really got under my skin.
During his brief few minutes, Wilcox argues that we should thank our City and County Commissioners for not raising taxes during this tough economic time. After all, he says, they reworked the budget to provide the city with funding for APD’s gang unit and a pay raise for County Police and without costing you a single dime. Ain’t that just swell of them?
First, it’s important to keep in mind my view of government as a whole. I don’t “thank” government officials for not raising my taxes. I may, if they deserve it on other fronts as well, vote for them again. For that, I deserve their thanks. They work for us and it’s best that they remember that from time to time. Them reworking the budget was a job well done, but only to some extent.
First, I applaud their ability to rework the budget to provide these things. I agree that gang crime is a problem that needs to be addressed, and that the Dougherty County Police Department needs to increase wages to keep their best and brightest right where they’re at. However, why hasn’t this genius that our various commissions displayed been? Why, for example, could this “rework” be done to…oh, I don’t know…lower our taxes. What about creating a rainy day fund to help offset troubled economic times?
But no, that didn’t happen. Instead, they spent when time were good, raising property taxes without regard for the concept that the Homeowners credit may go away at any point in the future…sort of like how it just did. They were, as a whole, short sighted. Truth be told, this isn’t just Albany that fell into this trap either. This is apparently state wide, as local governments saw dollar signs without really impacting the local population. After all, they’d still pay out the same amount each year, but the local government would be getting $200-300 more.
In a world where corporate greed is a scapegoat, government greed gets a pass. Wilcox was arguing, essentially, that even the most tenuous government restraint was praiseworthy rather than something we should expect from those we elect.
And that, my friends, is a huge part of the problem in the first place.
Why do our leaders never consider lower spending as an option?
My point exactly!
I agree with the comments that we should expect our government elected officials to do what they can to lower expenditures, however I disagree with the comment that we should not thank them. Anytime that someone does something for us, even if it is their JOB we should always show our appreciation. THINK ABOUT IT, when your boss at work gives praise or thanks to you for doing your job, doesn’t that make you feel good? Doesn’t it stroke your ego..just a bit? Doesn’t it make you want to go the extra mile? Yes our politicians are voted into office, but they are people just like you and me and we need to take the time to say thank you every once in awhile. Remember, you get more with honey than with sour grapes.
I’m sorry, but I don’t thank people for doing what is merely expected. I thank them for going above and beyond, not doing what they should be doing all along. In some professions, that’s simply the nature of their job. Things like military service and public safety positions (law enforcement, fire department) are two such examples, but politicians aren’t in that type of service.
The City and County Commissioners get their praise directly from reelection. When they do something good, I’ll be happy to thank them. Using your example of my boss, I don’t get praise for coming in to work on time, or doing what is expected. I get praise when I step up and do a little more, and therefore I strive to do that same thing. But fiscal responsibility is something that I expect from elected officials, and I’ve been sorely disappointed. When they start going above and beyond what I expect, then I’ll praise them. In fact, I have praised them for doing a bit more…but not on this. I expected this. They want thanks? Keep it up and do just a bit more. Then I’ll be doing it publicly right here.
And by the way, I think the Langstaff editorial (basically saying our property taxes are lower than we think (!)) that Kevin Hogencamp reprinted from Langstaff’s blog is sickening.
I like Kevin a lot and read his newspaper in preference to the print version of the Herald, but how hard would it have been to print an opposing viewpoint to Langstaff’s propaganda?
These people (the commissioners) don’t need thanks, they need to be run out of office and replaced by people with the courage to simply say NO to the vast amounts of wasteful spending that we all know Albany-Dougherty County is notorious for.
Just seeing this. I would love to print a retort to Langstaff’s column or a column about any other local issue. Just send your columns and letters my way to ajournal@thealbanyjournal.com.