Karen Heller to Philadelphia: Drop Dead
Via ellen in comments, just what we need: the irrelevant Karen Heller in the irrelevant Philadelphia Inquirer defending the Mayor:
Now, what if the problem is critical? Immediately, you would cut spending.
This is precisely what Mayor Nutter is trying to do. In November, he announced that the city faced a $1 billion shortfall over the next five years.
“We had to make a lot of bad choices from a list of bad choices,” he said yesterday, almost a year to the day after taking office.
Yet he’s been met with vehement opposition and constant pushback. While virtually every private industry is dealing with the new economy, reducing staff and eliminating costs, citizens – many who want lower taxes yet expect superior services – believe their local government should be immune.
Yes, cut, people say. But don’t cut the libraries/Mummers/fire department/insert favorite program here. They’re practicing budget NIMBY.
What about raising taxes, Karen? You don’t mention that a poll shows Philadelphians would forgo a wage tax cut if it kept essential services open (the mayor likes to ignore that little fly in the ointment too). Nor do you talk about cancelling tax cuts. Nor do you mention Budget Director Rob DuBow’s projected $40 million dollar surplus: tell me, is this plain old ignorance on your part, or just deliberate misinformation?
What’s your angle? Did brian tierney threaten to sit on you? I see you talking about the necessity of cuts Karen, but I don’t see you mentioning that $30 million the mayor wants to build new regional libraries in north and south Philly (with a puny $500,000 for bookmobiles for “underserved communities”, presumably like mine where the mayor intends to rob our kids and families of a library). You don’t mention that Mayor Nutter puts casino funding AHEAD of public necessities. You don’t mention the hundreds of millions owed to the city in back taxes. Goodness me Karen, we wouldn’t want to trouble SEPTA or SUNOCO now, would we??
From your comments section, a voice that is clearly more astute than you are:
Posted by Nick4102 10:30 AM, 01/06/2009
I said it before, but people like this author don’t want to listen. Yes Nutter inherited the problems. But he stuck his head in the sand. And if you remember and I quote “This snuck up on us” from Nutter. How’s that? He did the easy thing. He lopped off what he thought would be easy. Close fire houses, firemen can’t strike, cloase pools libraries rec centers, kids don’t vote. But thankfully it blew up in his face. As I have said before, these cuts may have been needed, but not first. First you cut fat, and this city has plenty. No more city cars or drivers for council members and staff. let them uses there own cars like everybody else. Get rid of $90k “assistants” reduce staff and salaries. Do all that first. Nutter will say he reduces his salary, thats not enough like I said way to much fat.
It’s always nice to see a writer like Heller excuse the Mayor for beating up on the poor and on kids. Will the cuts affect you Karen? Will you be losing your library up in Chestnut Hill near where you live? I don’t think so. do you have internet access at home? probably. Do you make a lot more than your average Kingsessing, Fishtown, of Kensington family? given your proximity to Chestnut Hill, I would say so.
I’m more than a little disappointed at your grasp of democracy Karen. You write:
Local government creates a sense of entitlement because people deal with it every day. You can’t air your grievances on the floor of Congress or in the chambers of Harrisburg, but folks can join the circus any Thursday Council cares to convene. And they can yell at the mayor in town meetings….
The citizens of Philadelphia want their everything.
This is called “DEMOCRACY” Karen, in which taxpayers and voters elect REPRESENTATIVES who “REPRESENT” their constituents. They’re not kings, autocrats, despots, or dictators: they are expected to be responsive to US. Your buddy Mr. Nutter explicitly campaigned on transparency, open government, and bringing the public into the process: it’s too bad he was lying, but that’s no cause for your vehement defense.
So yes, we do have a sense of entitlement because it’s our taxes that pay the bills and our votes that determine who’s elected: what part of “we the people” is so hard for you to grasp? Here’s a suggestion: move to North Korea or Iran, where you can get a greater appreciation for that icky “sense of entitlement” you scoff at as “temper tantrums”.
Perhaps that’s why you relate so well to Mayor Literacy, who told you:
“I would have loved to have had more time to do things better. I’ve apologized. Next time, we’ll do better. We’ll have much more public engagement, share information,” Nutter said yesterday. “Then people can see what it’s like inside the government and how you manage all of the parts. This is a massive enterprise, a huge undertaking. When you’re in a flood situation, you don’t have time to schedule a meeting.”
yes, in times of trouble, the democratic process must be short-circuited in favor of top-down dictatorial mandates, government by executive fiat. What a precedent Heller argues for: if there’s an emergency, the Mayor can do whatever he wants, regardless of what his constituents think.
Karen Heller and her BFF Michael Nutter obviously know what’s best for everyone. That’s why she has a column in a failing newspaper.
January 6th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
[...] Karen Heller to Philadelphia: Drop Dead Via ellen in comments, just what we need: the irrelevant Karen Heller in the irrelevant Philadelphia Inquirer defending the Mayor: Now, what if the problem is critical? Immediately, you would cut spending. This is precisely what Mayor Nutter is trying to do. In November, he announced that the city f… [...]
January 8th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
[...] What about raising taxes , Karen? You don’t mention that a poll shows Philadelphians would forgo a wage tax cut if it kept essential services open (the mayor likes to ignore that little fly in the ointment too). …[Continue Reading] [...]
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
[...] may remember Ms. Heller from her recent remarks on saving libraries, pools, and fire engines, which I addressed back in January At the time she told us to “face the facts”: Yet he’s been met with vehement [...]