12/24/02  Grousing Police & Firefighters

I noticed the letter re: city employees being oblivious to the general economic conditions in the private sector. 

This is a huge blind spot among the city employees, but there is another blind spot that is even more amazing -- particularly because it is more concrete and much "closer to home."  I am speaking of the apparent strong support the police and firefighters are promising to Mary Poss in her Quixotic quest for mayor.  

It is amazing that these folks fail to recall just why there are no funds available to the city for their raises.  They seem to have forgotten the eagerness of Ms. Poss and a number of other councilpersons to throw away tax dollars to finance investments/playpens for billionaire developers.  

They have apparently forgotten which councilwomen stood up for fiscal sanity and the ethical use of tax revenue, despite the intense nastiness and bullying tactics of Ms. Poss' mayoral mentor, Ron Kirk.  

The police, firefighters and other city employees should thank their lucky stars for Mayor Miller and Councilman Rasansky, and they should be praying that come this spring the council will welcome more members who will exhibit fiscal integrity.  

Otherwise, they might find themselves in the same leaky boat as so many workers in the private sector are suffering.