CLT UPDATE
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
"Real heroes don't whine"
Real heroes don't have an obsessive
need to remind you how heroic they are.
That simple reality seems to elude too many firefighters.
The Eagle-Tribune
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Real heroes don't whine about their jobs
By Taylor Armerding
Massachusetts is about the last place
one would expect a tax revolt, but that's what's brewing in Beantown.
The state board of elections recently certified that citizen activists
have gathered the 125,000 signatures required to qualify an initiative
for the November ballot to eliminate the state income tax....
The referendum may seem the longest of long shots in a state represented
by some of Congress's biggest spenders. But the same initiative was on
the ballot in 2002, and though the political establishment roared with
laughter through Election Day, the measure got 45% of the vote. This
time pro-tax forces such as the Massachusetts Teachers Association are
planning to spend millions of dollars warning of Armageddon.
They have cause to be worried. A
Fabrizio poll for
Citizens for Limited Taxation discovered that the average
Massachusetts voter believes that 41 cents of every state tax dollar are
wasted. Coincidentally, that's the share of the state budget funded by
the income tax. One big drain is a pension program that doles out
billions each year to double-dipping pensioners and state workers
retiring at taxpayer expense in their late 40s or 50s....
The forces of the tax-and-spend status quo will descend on this
initiative like British troops after the original Boston tea party, but
somebody has to make an effort to stop the relentless growth of
government.
The Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Review & Outlook
Boston Tax Party
Barbara Anderson's CLT
Commentary
Carla Howell is expected to be on CNN tonight (Aug
5) with Glenn Beck during his 7 pm show, again at 9 and midnight
(always subject to changes), talking about the income tax repeal
that was also noted in today's Wall Street Journal, Review &
Outlook.
I expect to be on NewsNight tomorrow night (Aug 6) at 8,
discussing Humor in Politics.
I can't yet capture my
latest column from last week's Salem News, but it's just a
"summer light" anyhow; I'm on vacation! Here's something better:
an excellent and courageous column by the Eagle Tribune's Taylor
Armerding.
I began reading Taylor in NorthShore Sunday when I first moved
to Massachusetts, picked up a lot of my own political philosophy
from his writing. It's been such a thrill for me as a writer to
be carried in the same newspaper group now. He's my
columnist-hero and you can see why.
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Barbara Anderson |
The Eagle-Tribune
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Real heroes don't whine about their jobs
By Taylor Armerding
Real heroes don't have an
obsessive need to remind you how heroic they are.
That simple reality seems to elude too many firefighters.
Let's say up-front — even though it will be ignored by most of the angry
brother/sisterhood who will take offense at these thoughts — that there
are indeed many heroic firefighters. They go to work, they do their
jobs, and when the situation arises, they do put their lives on the
line. It's just that they recognize that doing so is their job — it's
what they signed up for. They don't claim special hero status for doing
it.
Meanwhile, how many times can you hear the same, hectoring refrain from
their union leaders — "We put our lives on the line for you every day of
our lives" — before it starts to sound exactly like what it is —
self-serving?
If modern firefighting was even half as dangerous as union leaders claim
it is, communities would have to hire an entirely new force every five
years or so, because so many would be wiped out each year.
But the reality is that when it comes to dangerous jobs, firefighters
don't even make the top 10, according to the federal Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Who does? Loggers, fishermen (Are you taking note,
Gloucester firefighters?), pilots and navigators, structural metal
workers, drivers-sales workers, roofers, electric power installers, farm
workers, construction laborers and truck drivers.
That, of course, doesn't mean there is no danger in firefighting. But on
the rare occasions when firefighters are killed fighting a blaze, it is
such an event that hundreds — sometimes thousands — of fellow
firefighters come to the funeral. It is on front pages and leads TV news
broadcasts. If this was happening every week, it wouldn't be big news,
and it would be impossible for every department in the state to send
contingents to the endless memorial services.
And if modern firefighting was really that dangerous, the line of
applicants would be short — very short. Instead, it figuratively
stretches around the block. That's because the applicants know (and
admit in private moments of candor) that a job on the fire department is
a ticket to an unbelievable gravy train: Eternal job security, a
better-than-average salary, excellent benefits, a work schedule others
can only dream about (six days off out of every eight), early retirement
and a lavish pension.
Oh yes, and it doesn't take much of an injury to get classified as
permanently disabled, which yields an even better, tax-free pension.
Yet, with all that, most of what you hear from firefighter union leaders
is how mistreated they are, how miserable their lot is, how nobody
appreciates what they do, how mayors and boards of selectmen don't
respect them even though they are "putting their lives on the line every
day."
In Haverhill, the union is in full-time whine mode because Mayor James
Fiorentini is allegedly being mean to them. You know, he won't roll over
and sign whatever contract they put in front of him; he put out
statistics on the use of sick time that show firefighters using more
than other departments, even when long-term illnesses or injury are
excluded; he's not happy with them using "union time" off for things
that have little or nothing to do with union business.
The mayor broke a cardinal rule: Don't dare criticize firefighters. For
anything. Don't you know they "put their lives ..." you get the idea.
This rule extends even to the most outrageous, egregious behavior. When
firefighters are found guilty of misconduct, the unions don't condemn
it. They condemn those who caught it. And they say it is grossly unfair
to view all firefighters through the actions of a few miscreants.
That might make sense if they actually condemned the misconduct. But
instead, they either remain silent or they defend it. Witness the lack
of union outrage over the Boston firefighter out on permanent disability
who was somehow able to take fourth place in a body-building
competition.
If firefighters want to be treated like heroes, here's a few ways to
start.
First, cool the outrageous contract demands. Have some sympathy for the
people who pay the bill.
Second, show taxpayers some appreciation. The public already shows its
appreciation for all its public safety workers in the millions they pay.
Consider your work schedule, the time off, the amazing benefits, the
artificial overtime rules, and on and on.
Third, if you've got a few bad apples, weed them out yourselves, instead
of waiting for management to do it, or even impeding management's
efforts to do it.
Fourth, stay in shape, and demand the same of everybody on the force.
You're always talking about how physically demanding your job is. Why,
then, are there so many overweight firefighters?
Do that, and you won't have to keep telling people that you're heroes.
They'll tell you.
Taylor Armerding is associate editorial page editor of The
Eagle-Tribune.
The Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Review & Outlook
Boston Tax Party
Massachusetts is about the
last place one would expect a tax revolt, but that's what's brewing in
Beantown. The state board of elections recently certified that citizen
activists have gathered the 125,000 signatures required to qualify an
initiative for the November ballot to eliminate the state income tax.
The Small Government Act would repeal the 5.3% income and wage tax, as
well as the state capital gains tax, which reaches as high as 12%. The
ballot initiative would replace the $12.5 billion in taxes with . . .
nothing. "One of the points here," explains Carla Howell of the
Committee for Small Government that is driving the referendum, "is to
force the state legislators to start cutting the bloated state budget."
The political shock of having no income tax would force the pols on
Beacon Hill to make the difficult spending choices they now refuse to
make.
The referendum may seem the longest of long shots in a state represented
by some of Congress's biggest spenders. But the same initiative was on
the ballot in 2002, and though the political establishment roared with
laughter through Election Day, the measure got 45% of the vote. This
time pro-tax forces such as the Massachusetts Teachers Association are
planning to spend millions of dollars warning of Armageddon.
They have cause to be worried. A
Fabrizio poll for
Citizens for Limited Taxation discovered that the average
Massachusetts voter believes that 41 cents of every state tax dollar are
wasted. Coincidentally, that's the share of the state budget funded by
the income tax. One big drain is a pension program that doles out
billions each year to double-dipping pensioners and state workers
retiring at taxpayer expense in their late 40s or 50s.
Nine U.S. states have no income tax, including such economic climbers as
Florida, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas. These states are doing fine
funding schools, hospitals and police without the income levy. Over the
past decade 330,000 Massachusetts residents have packed U-Haul trailers
and left -- more than have even fled Michigan -- and many have gone to
no-income-tax New Hampshire.
"The idea here is to stop being on the defensive in fighting against big
government and to start taking the political offensive," says Ms.
Howell. She says the tax repeal would give every Massachusetts worker a
5% after-tax pay raise, or about $3,000 extra income per family. That's
attractive when Census data show that, after inflation, state budgets
nationwide are up 18% since 2005 while paychecks have remained flat.
The forces of the tax-and-spend status quo will descend on this
initiative like British troops after the original Boston tea party, but
somebody has to make an effort to stop the relentless growth of
government.
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