Monday, September 21, 2009

You've made your bed....

It seems that unionized labor in the City of Detroit is facing massive layoffs to help rightsize the budget. As s result, the unions are endorsing Tom Barrow to upset Dave Bing.

What a quandry. Due to a law passed by the State of Michigan, residency could no longer be a factor in determinig employment status.

So in a strange twist of fate, some city employees won't be able to vote to affect the outcome of their economic futures. To that I say, "You've made your bed, now you must lie in it."

In a move that helped contribute to the degradation of the tax base, a number of City of Detroit residents exercised their right to move out of the city. Now they are requesting that those citizens who remain vote for a candidate who will be simpathetic to their plight.

I say. "Too bad, so sad." The city's population has shrunk, and as a result city services have to shrink. Why should the remaining citizens "bailout" city workers who decided to "bailout" on the city?

The city will be rightsized with these layoffs. Had the totality been citizens I could see this impacting the tax base and would empathize and support these workers, but when this legislation was introduced where was the opposition from the unions? Why did some of these city workers choose to leave a city that was paying their salary?

A few years ago after I reported a breakin, a Detroit Police Officer inquired as to why I still resided in the city. My response was this, "If I and those like me, tax paying citizens, move out of the city, who would pay your salary?"

To the union workers who are poised to lose their jobs and have exercised their right to move out of the city, You've made your bed......