And Just Why Does City Government Exist?

I am serious. Why does city government exist? What does city government do? Oh, you say a host of services, with many important departments and functions. Horse feathers, most cities west of the Mississippi only provide three services (in the East schools are part of city government). That's right, only three:

1. Public Safety (Police, Fire and EMS)
2. Transportation (Streets and Public Transit - The Bus System)
3. Parks and Cultures (Parks, Recreation, and Culture)

That's it. Period! Public Safety is by far the largest. But, what about Water, Sewer, and Sanitation? We do not need city government to provide those services. By and large, cities do a poor job of providing those services. Look, if electricity, natural gas, cable, and telephone can be delivered by someone other than government, then why should cities own these utilities. Essentially, cities have commandeered these services and blocked any competition, which has created a city monopoly. It is no different than the city owning all of the McDonald's in town, while keeping Wendy's and Burger King out. We do not need cities to be able to have a Big Mac. We do not need cities to have water, sewer and sanitation. Cities need to sell these utilities and retire the associated debt.

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Handling The Ability To Pay Issue

The Three Thinks You Must Do

1. Prove that there is adequate growth in per capita revenue
2. Prove that there are adequate cash reserves
3. Prove that dire budget predictions are not credible

Three Things You Must NOT Do

1. Attempt to find hidden or sequestered money
2. Second guess how the money is currently being spent
3. Assert or suggest any wrong doing by officials

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Even More Lies - Health Insurance Premiums Are Going Up 15% Per Year

How About 5% Per Year - The Real Truth

More Lies - This Is The Worst Economy In Fifty Years

The Truth About The Economy

Claiming that “the economy is the worst in 50 years” has become a part of the standard repertoire of politicians and pundits since Al Gore made it famous during the 1992 presidential campaign. It was a lie then and it is a lie today. We will refer to it as “Al Gore – Opus 1”. I will let you figure out what “Al Gore – Opus 2” is.

What are the facts, the documented historical record? First, 1992 was not the worst year for the economy. Prior to 1993, 1992 was the BEST year ever – all time record year. 1992 saw one of the worst frauds perpetrated on the public – Al Gore – Opus 1. “It’s the economy, stupid” was the rallying call. Actually, it was “snake oil” and other assorted lies.

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National Collective Bargaining Law Close To Being Passed

H.R. 413 - Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009 is close to becoming law.  The impact of the law is being greatly overstated by those on both sides of the issue.  The truth is that the law is rather benign.  About the only requirements are that the employer must talk with the elected employee organizations and that there be some kind of dispute resolution mechanism - not binding arbitration.

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The Big Lie - Step Pay Plans Increase Payroll

POLICEPAY has written the definitive paper on step pay plans.  We even offer a free model for anyone to use.  Read the article and study the model and you will see the light.  If would like a copy of our model to make a case against our paper, please let us know.  We will get it straight to you.  To download and read the article, click the headline for this posting.

Base Pay 9-11-01 vs 9-11-09

POLICEPAY.NET has prepared a report that compares the starting pay for the 15 largest United States cities on September 11, 2009 with September 11, 2009.  You can download and read the report by clicking the headline above.