A classic strategy of politicians who are facing a tax revolt is to shut down services that voters regard as crucial. The police are favorites. They become sacrificial lambs.
The politicians say that they just cannot find anything else to cut. So, they use the police as the sacrificial lambs. This pressures voters back down.
The latest big city to adopt this tactic is Detroit, It will not be the last. The city will close a number of Detroit’s police stations for 16 hours a day.
Will citizens be able to report crimes? They can leave a message on a recording machine. They can log in on the police department’s Website.
The city will lay off 100 police officers.
Criminals in Detroit will have a field day. That is basic to the the politicians’ strategy. They use the criminals as accomplices to carry out their program of terrorizing citizens. The criminals whip the voters into line.
‘I was a police officer in Detroit for 35 years and I can tell you they have wasted money for 35 years,” John Barr, a representative for the Police Officers Association of Michigan, said in a telephone interview.
‘It’s pathetic, just pathetic.’
The city is running a large deficit. It could run out of money in 90 days. That’s what the city’s politicians say.
If it really is true, let them close the city’s schools. All of them. Then I’ll believe that they are serious.
No more welfare payments. No more salaries for 90% of the secretaries. No salaries for city officials. No more trash collection. No more street sweeping.
The police should be cut last. But politicians know how to terrorize the voters. They fire police first.
This has always been a govt tactic – for example, the Air Force used to build all the infrastructure first (including the clubs, golf course, etc) before it built the runways so when they ran out of money they would have to be given more or the base would be useless.
And it happens all over the place – in education, the administration has gotten bloated in all districts, but is always teachers that are cut first., in roads, bridges are the trip point because of their expense. We all know of dozens of examples, but the politicians continue to think we are dumb sheep that don't know what is going on. And rarely do we have a choice between other than two candidates who are both career politicians who know how to play the game very well.
Yes this is the powers to be 'example' of the seriousnous of the situation. The waste of tax dollars in local, state and federal budgets is just astounding and would fill a volume of books that would create a small library. Most people can cite example after example of amazing waste by government. I know I could but won't bore the readers of this forum.
Well, well a blessing in disguise 🙂 I think gun sales are going to go up and court costs will be cut but they may have to extend the morgue facilities for all the dead bad guys.
But yeah this is soooo typical. And they think we buy it? NOT!
I could not agree with you more ….the General's wife decides she doesn't like the decor in the General's office?? $6,500 later nice new carpet and drapes with 'a woman's' touch. I appreciate the military's sacrifices they are commanded to do…..but the financial waste internally is beyond the average persons conception.
Same tactic they use when we vote down a school millage. They cut bus service first so the parents have to drive their children to school. That usually works.
By the way, the Detroit schools collect taxes through property tax levies, completely separate from the city's tax collection, most of which is through a city income tax on workers who work in the city. Cutting school costs, or services, would certainly help balance the school system's budget (it is bankrupt and has been taken over by a state-appointed manager), but any money saved cannot be used by the bankrupt city administration. Of course any money saved from street cleaning, plowing, and garbage collection, carried out by unionized workers, would of course help the city's budget.
In the private sector, the big-wigs always find the money to get new office furniture, flooring, computers, toys. While saying they don't have enough money to replace old outdated equipment used by the grunts.
I doubt 100 police officers will make a difference one way or another. Criminals are already having a field day in Detroit.
Currently, the quickest way to get mugged in America is to visit certain sections of Detroit. Murders don't get solved there, anyway.
This is an example of how gullible most voters really are. They hear a slick politician talking and say yea that's the guy for me and vote the idiots in time after time. Tea Party steps up and is vilified by the media and ALL DEMOCRATS as racists and rednecks. Yet teh New Black Panthers are just trying to help their community, the Occupy movement is there to show us the wrongs of our society, excercising their Constitutional rights. Something they want to deny the Tea Party. It all boils down to, what can the governbment give to me. If I get it, I don't want it cut. We are now a nation of a bunch of lazy, stupid, give me people. Gone are the days when Democrats used to hold up Kennedy, you remember the one who said, "don't ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
More stimulas dollars from the inept POS POTUS? He's done it before to save public workers jobs.
You can thank Obama's unions for Detroit's bankruptcy problems. Hey, the greedy unions priced theirselves out of business and now everybody else has to pay.
Cut all the politicians salary 1st, no security detail for politicians as they travel, no take home cars or personalized cars,
let the drive their own or take a bus or cab at their own expense, no rolls royce paid healthcare let them buy their own,
cut pensions let them invest with their own money.
You know, I believe that the politicians shutting down the police stations and getting rid of the police as a scare tactic to try to get their constituents to back down is a very good thing… for the constituents. My reasoning is this:
If the crooked politicians do not wish to do the right things and trim their budgets regarding the pet projects and payoffs and wish to try to cow the voters by doing away with critical services instead, then as a former member of the U.S. military and a strong believer in the tactics of escalation, (part 01 of 02)
I would tend to believe it a wise move politically for the voters to then, as a result of such crooked maneuverings by these politicians, to turn the tables and move as a group to confront these same politicians in person (as a combined voter force) to demand they do the very things they are trying not to do by making a "show" of cutting the police and other critical services, by letting them face the combined might of their voters "personally" and make them wish the people they have fired to create a sham budget cut were still around to save them. I am not advocating in any way doing any harm, but if these crooked politicians are made to feel the combined extreme ire of their voters at their offices and even at home, then maybe they will get the message and realize the U.S. voters mean business and that we will call their bluff. They used to have two very good remedies for such scoundrels at one time; tar and feathers or run out of town (maybe even the country) on a rail. Maybe these should be reinstituted… What do you think? (part 02 of 02)
One final thought…
If these politicians are so willing to play games with the police and other critical service personel and the livelihood they depend upon to take care of their communities and ultimately, their families, then maybe these same police and other emergency service workers might consider how little they, their communities and these employees' families mean to these same politicians if they are so willing to play games and use these personel in this way instead of doing the right things in cutting their budgets. So when and if the voters ever call these politicians' bluff, maybe these police, etc… might just stay home.
@Tom … Generally good ideas and thoughts…
However… Seems that "public safety" has just taken a "hit"… Perhaps those in the "public" should consider their options at once…like the next day "after" these layoffs and cuts and closures become "fact"… Move back into these closed stations as the "local Militia" of CITIZEN'S / RESIDENTS… The first time those "8-Hr wonders" show up to a jail full of very "whopped ass" bad guys…ya' think they might wander just "who is doing what"..?? eh?…. I'm thiking that there would be a serious run/shortage on PINK JUMP SUITS and PINK UNDERAWEAR…and no more road kill calls for any cleanup crew…"it's in the pot", eh?… Maybe, a couple of those worthless politicians' could find they way into "General Population" for a few hours too??
I think we, as Americans, can all agree that it's more important to keep funding the study involving shrimp on a treadmill rather than funding something so unnecessary to our survival, like police officers.
Ron Paul 2012
The author has it all wrong…the police are NOT the sacrificial lambs…WE THE PEOPLE are the sacrificial lambs. The police will be used as pawns to collect more tax revenue to insure that their jobs are secure.
Once a handful of Detroits citizens are killed by criminals, the police will go on the news to say 'see, you DO need us.'
That handful of Detroit citizens are the 'sacrificial lambs.' The police will get their jobs back…but what about the dead folks in Detroit?
Ron Paul 2012
My point in all of this is simple. So long as corruption rules without consequence, corruption rules. The only way to put a stop to the crooks in politics is for the actual citizens of this republic to stand up instead of remaining sheeple and act to rectify the situation. So long as the sheeple keep their heads in their rectum, the crooks in politics will continue to exercise their posteriors and it will remain business as usual. To save our republic, we must actually refuse to fall prey to the political games and demonstrate decisively that such games have true and meaningful consequences. But as in all things, unless these consequences actually adversely affect those playing the political games and in a major way, these crooks have no reason to listen. Keep it legal. Follow the money. Do not be fooled. And above all, make it as costly as possible personally for the crooks.
Virtually EVERY Republicon in Congress signed Grover Norquist's pledge to not authorize tax increases. This is the same guy who has made it his mission to shrink the Federal government to the size where it could "be drowned in a bathtub". What did you who voted for them think would happen? The who tea-bagger point is to bring the Federal government back down to the same size it was in the 18th century when there were no public roads, no public schools, and gave NO money to states. Surprise!
What better excuse to protect the second amendment. Let the states due their job. The states do not need a handout. Make the Administration do their job, no more-no less!
toosmarttovote? More like todumbtounderstandthetrueroleofgovernment. Government makes a good servant of the people, but only if kept on a very tight, short and severe leash. There is no room for private ambitions, agendas and plans for social/political engineering if government is to actually serve the people without causing serious harm. It is the personal ambitions, greed, power lust and personal conflicts that most influenced the early civilizations' wars and most horrible attrocities. The founders of this republic were wise when they formed the U.S.A. They did the best they knew how to chain government and bind it to the will of the citizens. (part 01 of 02)