Interesting contrast of philosophy in my morning reading.
Filling in for Commander Hood, JLF columnist Donna Martinez says trimming the state’s budget gap will require a serious mindset adjustment:
From child care and education to health care, housing, and even our diet, many in society welcome government’s long tentacles. It’s a shame. The nanny state encourages us to expect someone else to solve our problems, provide our needs and wants, and assume responsibility for our poor choices.
….We have a problem of dependence. For years, legislators have been the enablers. Existing programs have been expanded. New programs have been created. Entitlement eligibility has been broadened. State appropriations per person, adjusted for inflation, were $1,250 in 1981. By 2010, the figure reached $2,160.
Meanwhile, the N&R issues a call for the collective ‘we’ to tackle Greensboro’s poverty rate. In fairness, I agree with the editorial’s call for individuals to “provide relief to our neighbors in any way we’re able, from contributions to such agencies as United Way, Urban Ministry and the Greensboro Housing Coalition to volunteer work for these and other charitable causes.”
But the real howler is former mayor Jim Melvin* claiming he saw all of this coming 10 years ago and that’s why he started Action Greensboro. In my mind, that says a lot about Action Greensboro’s effectiveness.
The N&R also uses the line that’s been tossed around for years now:
The mandate ought to be clear: Even as local governments that face revenue shortages must reduce or eliminate some services, the priority should remain education, especially K-12 and such rubber-to-the-road efforts as job-retraining initiatives at GTCC.
This trying economy, too, should pass in time. But only if we’re not ready with good schools and a strong work force. And only if our county commissioners and City Council choose to lead with the greater good in mind, not the next election.
Notice anyone missing in last paragraph? Exactly —- the Guilford County Board of Education, which once again is digging in its heels and saying ‘we want it all’ in light of the county’s budget problems, never minding the fact that they’re the major cause of those budget problems. A responsible board would be eager to work with commissioners.
Seems to me it’s clear a change of mindset is necessary to get us out of this mess, but instead many government leaders, not to mention the mainstream media —keep reinforcing the behaviors that got us here in the first place.
*What is it with Greensboro and ‘former mayors’ these days?
