Wed, Jan 07 2004

Not Everybody Wins In Budget Crunch, But Everybody Can Act Like A Winner

While I appreciated Wilma Chan's comments, what she suggests is probably impossible. I've never lived anywhere in which the needs of every citizen are fully met. Life just isn't fair and disasters happen, plus sometimes people slip through the cracks. And some people make continual poor judgements that affect their own prosperity and happiness, along with the prosperity and happiness of those with whom they come in contact. In the end, we'll have to settle for doing what does the most good for the most people in the state of California. The tricky part for our governor and our legislators will be figuring out who fits into that majority. In California, the vast majority is made up of lots of small minorities--racial, ethnic, educational, religious and economical. No matter what gets cut in the budget, some of us are going to find our lifestyle in worse shape than it already is.

Meanwhile, all those police and firefighters who seem to be the "scare tactic" scape goat group legislators want to tell us will be cut first from the budget are doing what they can to make life go on. If you want to keep your local police and firefighters, don't just vote. Do local things that help them. Get involved. I've lived in plenty of places that made it with an entirely volunteer fire department, and they did a fantastic job. The community pitched in and did more than just dial 911 when something was on fire. They were there for the firefighters every single day. We may have to be willing to pay for our state budget with time and elbow grease, and not just with more money thrown at legislators who hoard it for their pet pork projects.

Speaking of pets (but not pork), check out this great fundraiser for the California State Firefighters Association Education Fund.

posted at: 10:55 | category: /Politics | link to this entry