January 17, 2004
Our Broken Town
Healing Is Long Overdue
By Fred H. Arm
The continual lament by citizens and politicians alike about the abysmal state of financial affairs that Richmond is in surely must signal that something radical must be done. When they want to cut our fire protection, libraries, parks, police protection, and the like, sends us a signal of a malignancy that needs serious attention. When the administrator himself that holds the City’s cash does not know how much money is in the kitty, we are in big trouble.
Sure, I Can understand how we got into this mess. So what. It is like a teen-ager who for years was receiving too much allowance; suddenly finding him/herself with only half the income is in a state of shock. Still, our so-called leaders now either have to show what they’re made of or be replaced. Unfortunately, no one seems courageous enough to make the first move. Perhaps now is the time to get rid of all the slackers and start over again.
A city, state, or country has a compact to receive the money of the people by way of taxation and in exchange to provide the services the populous demands and needs. If you hire a contractor to build your house for a specified fee who later comes whining to you that he is paying too much in pensions, health care, salaries or whatever and needs to cut the services he promised to provide to you, you have every legal and moral right to find another contractor who will provide these services for the compensation available. Why should our compact with the bureaucrats be any different?
Perhaps it is time for the citizens to take action themselves rather than relying upon the incompetents in place to correct their own shortcomings. The simplest action would be to go to court on behalf of the citizens and ask a judge to appoint a receiver. Under such judicial oversight, perhaps we can put to work some of the unemployed who are competent, willing and able to restore the services of this city without lining their own pockets and those of special interest groups. Much like surgical intervention when a serious cancer has taken over your body, a removal of the malignancy may allow the organism to begin healing itself. Stop complaining and do something about it!