It's ALL About the Numbers...
Last evening's City Council meeting was one I have been anticipating for some time, as it was focusing on issues that are immediate and potentially costly to the taxpayers of Fort Wayne.

Now I've taken courses in accounting, as well as business math, and even a few years of Latin, but I swear that the ambiguity presented last night pursuant to city budgets, statistical data projected forward and tax levy "options" had me scrambling for a copy of Vergil's AENEID...in the ORIGINAL GREEK, because I'd be able to make MORE SENSE of THAT than the meeting!
(and I have never even studied classical Greek)
Yeah, it was THAT complicated...or was that convoluted?
Thankfully, City Council tabled any vote until all the fallout from Governor Mitch's State of the State speech could be digested fully.
I will preface this by saying that Mitch Harper (4th district) did a fantastic job of both questioning AND maintaining proper decorum during the meeting. It's pleasing to see that someone HAS read "Robert's Rules of Order".
City Controller Pat Roller (love the rhyme) basically stated that the city can either be boned NOW...or be boned LATER, depending on "how much boning" the city is willing to deal with (MY words...NOT hers). And as we always find out sooner or later, as the city gets "boned", so do the taxpayers.
Granted we're ONLY talking about a figure between $10 to $19 for the average homeowner (at this time), but stop and think about this: When you "nickel and dime" someone to death, you will eventually RUN OUT of money and people to get the money from. Makes a good case for leaving the area, doesn't it?
But wait...aren't we TRYING to stop this "brain drain" from our fair city? Well, yeah...but this sure ain't the way to go about it, is it? Seems we're both pulling AND pushing on the SAME back bumper of the car, and that doesn't get anyone anywhere...real fast.
As I stated here a while back, this city is headed in the direction that Philadelphia went back in the 70s, and that was to enact a CITY WAGE TAX to "supplement" the revenue lost due to rising unemployment, jobs that moved elsewhere, and property tax caps (and that wage tax was about 3 times the state tax for PA). Fort Wayne might call it by another name, but like a rose, it still SMELLS, just not as sweet. Philly's "wage tax" was applied to ANYONE who either LIVED in the city, OR worked in the city, so even if you lived in beautiful King of Prussia, PA but worked in Philly, you payed the tax for the "privilege" of working IN Philly. If you worked in Burlington, NJ but LIVED in Philly, you still payed the tax for the "privilege" of living in Philly.
Nice little deal, huh?
I did an "experiment" one year to see if I could bypass Philly's city wage tax...and it worked, so the system can be circumvented, but even as a Federal Treasury Department employee, I wouldn't recommend it for the faint-hearted.
Suffice it to say I saved a bundle of cash that year in my paychecks, and still recouped a decent refund from my "employer"...the IRS. Call it a study in "financial diversification".
We all know WHY our city keeps needing more money, but few (if any) want to name the root cause. Well I will.
It's all the people that cause all the problems in ANY city who are to blame.
Whether it's the criminal element, who will infest ANY city where they KNOW they can secure a foothold, or these bleeding heart agencies that promote "do-nothing / feel good" programs solely designed to maintain the current level of poverty in a specific community or area aka a slum or ghetto. It's that portion of the population we see DAILY meandering or driving along the streets when they "could" be seeking some type of LEGAL, GAINFUL employment, even if they became self-employed.
And the result for allowing the behavior from this faction of the citizenry is all too obvious; we have to INCREASE public services to maintain the security of EVERYONE (yes, even the bad guys) which means MORE policemen, MORE firemen, MORE street workers, MORE office workers to handle problems, MORE technology to keep up with the infrastructure, MORE equipment to handle the increased workload, MORE supplies and consumables to maintain the offices or the rolling stock on the streets, and it keeps growing like a snowball kicked down Mt.Everest.
We've reached a tipping point in the city.
We NEED to keep the ratio of city workers/city services in line with the rising population, but we don't need to keep paying out the ass for it. There lies the great debate...the conundrum we all face. It makes one think when the largest employer of ANY city BECOMES the city, doesn't it? What are we willing to pay out (further) to ENSURE we are safe when leaving our homes OR remaining inside them? And what are we willing to sacrifice should we NOT wish to pay any more money?
We certainly cannot do without 200 police officers, or a hundred firemen, nor can we do without street repair, water and sewer maintenance, or even animal control.
The two largest bites out of most ANY city's budget are blatantly apparent.
They are EDUCATION and PUBLIC SAFETY. Neither of which are things any normal person would be willing to brush aside. Without education, no one goes anywhere, and without public safety, no one goes anywhere without getting robbed, shot or raped. Yet for ALL the money poured into THESE TWO aspects of a city, are we truly getting back what WE are putting into them? If we are...fine, but if we are NOT, then WHY NOT?
There is NO "easy" button here...no snap of the finger solution.
Be nice if there was.

(editor's note - update)
** The first homicide of this year is on hold (until it occurs). The man I mentioned yesterday who was found shot in the Arbor Lakes apartment complex (and later died) was ruled an ACCIDENTAL shooting. Makes a good case for KNOWING how to handle a firearm safely, right?
All I will say about that is that when you feel the need to keep a LOADED weapon in your house, NEVER keep a round in the chamber (if it's an autoloader), and never keep the hammer on a loaded cylinder chamber (if it's a wheel gun).
And for Gods sake, if you're CLEANING any firearm: CLEAR THE FRIGGING WEAPON FIRST! Dump the mag, place the weapon on SAFE and rack the slide back to EJECT any live round. Open the cylinder, eject the rounds on a revolver, and if you have a shotgun, safe the weapon, and eject ALL live rounds. Remove the clip from rifles and check the breech.
No "ifs", "ands", or "DUHS" about it.
One of the BEST innovations to come along regarding gun safety has been these "dummy rounds" called SNAP-CAPS. They chamber like the real thing, but have no charge in them to go off. Instead, they have a spring to allow the firing pin or hammer to fall normally, to avoid damage, and will keep you among the living. And they're not expensive.
Spend a little...save a lot (like your life).

And there you go...commentary AND safety tips.
How novel is that, eh?
Hey, it's what I do.