beterwas
honestly misbehaving
Archive for December, 2008
December 29, 2008 at 3:55 pm · Filed under Call Bullshit, Raise The Debate
A few weeks ago I wrote a guest column in the paper, comparing Muncie to George Bailey, the larger point of which was to suggest that maybe the residents of Muncie should rally around the city that has been so good to them for so long.
Not surprisingly, most of the responses I received all focused on one little sentence in the thirteenth paragraph.
In trying to demonstrate that the economic problems we face are not as insurmountable as they have been characterized to be, I suggested that the difference between deficit and surplus could be bridged with a hundred dollar bill.
You’d have thought from some of the responses I received that it had suggested a doubling of property taxes. One comment really stood out for me, though. A reader wrote “I don’t have a problem with $100, it’s the $900 in property taxes that I have a problem with!!!”
Really?
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December 9, 2008 at 2:30 pm · Filed under Finish Ahead, Raise The Debate
The holiday season is here, and no December is complete without a cozy evening spent with the Bailey’s, Viola, Bert & Ernie and the rest of the friendly folks of Bedford Falls.
George Bailey, arguably one of the greatest movie characters ever written, embodies all of the qualities we admire and aspire towards. Selfless, thoughtful and humble, George loves his “crummy old town” and all of the people in it, much more than even he realizes. Despite the quiet desperation he harbors for the relinquished plans of his youth, he faces every challenge that presents itself to his community, and always does what he truly believes is best for the people around him – even if that choice doesn’t benefit him at all, personally.
When George finds himself in dire financial straits – caused not by him, but by another’s honest mistakes – his spirit is saved from despair by both the realization of how many people’s lives he’s touched, and the warm generosity and gratitude displayed by those same fellow citizens.
I often wonder how George Bailey would have fared here in Muncie.
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December 8, 2008 at 6:29 pm · Filed under Raise The Debate
More and more I read comments posted on various websites from individuals lecturing readers about personal responsibility, touting the importance of accepting the consequence of one’s actions and chastising public officials for lacking the courage of their convictions. All done anonymously, of course.
Is it really any wonder that the universe is collapsing?
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December 2, 2008 at 4:12 pm · Filed under Finish Ahead, Raise The Debate
While the budget will likely be the most talked about segment of the Dec. 1 city council meeting, the Muncie Police Department funding exchange was for me the most interesting.
Police Chief Deborah Davis wanted to access money she had saved in the department’s labor budget to upgrade its computers. The project would cost $150,000 over three years, and upgrade computer capabilities in vehicles and in station record-keeping, replacing the ’80s technology they (and the fire department) are using.
Council member Mary Jo Barton wanted to be sure the available funds were not the result of back-door staffing cuts. Davis gave a clear, and impressive, explanation of how she saved the money by downsizing the officer staff and replacing those positions with additional patrolmen. The difference turned out to be $336,500.
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