This is the Crisis that Every Citizen Can Not Let Go to Waste
By Brother Bob
April 8, 2020
Reprinted with Permission of the Author
Fairfax County, Virginia is facing a budget crisis. However, unlike most issues that we hear about around the DC Beltway, this is a crisis that affects every level of government across the country, from the largest states to the smallest towns. The title of this post is paraphrasing the famous quote from President Obama’s former Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel:
... One of the surprisingly underreported stories (or not so surprising given what passes for journalism today) is how states and local governments are facing massive budget shortfalls, as the nationwide shutdown has basically strangled the tax revenue to these government entities. Fairfax is just one all too real example of what is happening across America. This means that all of these government bodies are going to have to make some hard choices as to what gets funded and how to pay for it. And this is where we come in.
Since raising taxes will have the effect of trying to draw blood from a stone, budget cuts are coming down. And this is the opportunity for us to shine a light of what is being cut and what is being kept. If we see schools talking about laying off teachers, maybe ask why having someone with a title like “Director of Diversity and Inclusion” on staff is more important than teaching. Are library hours being cut? Maybe cut out whatever funds are being used for Drag Queen Story Hours, or as I like to call it, “state sponsored child endangerment“. How about expensive, unreliable school buses?
While we can’t do much individually about how the federal government mismanages our tax dollars, we can start making a difference on local and state levels. Who knows? If we start small, maybe at some point it will get the attention of the federal government?
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Blogging by the credo of "Making the world a more offensive place, one blog post at a time", Brother Bob started writing posts around the beginning of the Obama presidency over at Brother Bob's Blog. A born-again Existentialist and self-professed libertarian with conservative tendencies, he has ironically chosen to live in the Washington, DC area - deep behind enemy lines. He believes in the "Happy Warrior" approach, and tries to inject humor in his posts, sometimes successfully. Brother Bob lives with his very patient wife known as Sister Babe, and their fantastic son, Little Bob.
By Brother Bob
April 8, 2020
Reprinted with Permission of the Author
Fairfax County, Virginia is facing a budget crisis. However, unlike most issues that we hear about around the DC Beltway, this is a crisis that affects every level of government across the country, from the largest states to the smallest towns. The title of this post is paraphrasing the famous quote from President Obama’s former Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel:
- “Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste,” Mr. Emanuel said in an interview on Sunday. “They are opportunities to do big things.”
... One of the surprisingly underreported stories (or not so surprising given what passes for journalism today) is how states and local governments are facing massive budget shortfalls, as the nationwide shutdown has basically strangled the tax revenue to these government entities. Fairfax is just one all too real example of what is happening across America. This means that all of these government bodies are going to have to make some hard choices as to what gets funded and how to pay for it. And this is where we come in.
Since raising taxes will have the effect of trying to draw blood from a stone, budget cuts are coming down. And this is the opportunity for us to shine a light of what is being cut and what is being kept. If we see schools talking about laying off teachers, maybe ask why having someone with a title like “Director of Diversity and Inclusion” on staff is more important than teaching. Are library hours being cut? Maybe cut out whatever funds are being used for Drag Queen Story Hours, or as I like to call it, “state sponsored child endangerment“. How about expensive, unreliable school buses?
While we can’t do much individually about how the federal government mismanages our tax dollars, we can start making a difference on local and state levels. Who knows? If we start small, maybe at some point it will get the attention of the federal government?
_________________________________
Blogging by the credo of "Making the world a more offensive place, one blog post at a time", Brother Bob started writing posts around the beginning of the Obama presidency over at Brother Bob's Blog. A born-again Existentialist and self-professed libertarian with conservative tendencies, he has ironically chosen to live in the Washington, DC area - deep behind enemy lines. He believes in the "Happy Warrior" approach, and tries to inject humor in his posts, sometimes successfully. Brother Bob lives with his very patient wife known as Sister Babe, and their fantastic son, Little Bob.