Let's Growup, It's Time For Solids

I know it's hard to abandon something you have gotten use to having. A small child never wants to leave the protective arms, of their mother. But if a child develops normally. His independence and maturity starts to evolve. First you start out with a spoon, then you graduate to a fork. Eventually you will drain anything, no matter how big. When what you're filling, has grown just as big. This analogy to a degree, describes the city of Memphis. You can't continue to withdraw, and never make a deposit.

Yesterday Mayor Herenton announced his new "leanest budget ever". The new budget allows for $500 million for operating expenses, and about $2 billion in capital improvements. He proposes no city layoffs, and no new property tax increases. No reduction in employee benefits, or health insurance. He plans to replenish the dwindling cash reserves, to the tune of $20 million. This by June 2007, the end of the upcoming fiscal year. Sounds like a winner to me, that covers about everything. Hold up, wait a minute, not so fast. Don't bring on the band yet. Now we face what I call, what has become a thorn in American progress. There is a time and place for everything. The time for unions is not now. When you include their demands, it always changes the landscape. The new budget calls for no new raises for the city employees. Here come the city unions. You never hear, at least I don't. About the city employees who work downtown, in the various offices. Could it possibly be, they have a better understanding. You always know what the Fire,Police and Sanitation department unions say. The problem is the union doesn't even give a thought to the fact. You have to take the good, with the bad. I know it sounds like a lot of cliches, "but you can't have everything".

This new budget addresses all the complaints, I hear on a daily basis. If the Mayor proposes these things, and doesn't follow through. Then we have a problem. That's when the union officials and leaders need to cry foul. You can't secure your own position now, and deal with the newcomers later. That's what the unions have been doing lately. Creating contracts that eventually end up costing jobs. Would you prefer making $18 hr. and be working? Or $20 hr and be laid off ? Not to mention cutting someone else, out of a fulltime job. They don't have money in the budget, for both them and you. I know you say they have the money. Where does the money come from? In the form of property taxes, on guess who? What works for them, has to work for you too. That should be reflected in your contracts and negotiations. I'm not sure the residency laws are serving the best interest of Memphians. All new employees and department heads, have to live in the city. That only covers a small percentage. The city won't really reap the benefits of that law, for about 15 yrs. at least. They aren't concerned about the city necessarily, probably because they don't live here anyway. Close to the words of John F. Kennedy. "My fellow Memphians, Ask not what your city can do for you, but what you can do for your city".