Tucson 'quietly?' makes city even more unlivable ...

Mortgage problems? Employment problems? Not to worry. Cut service for thems that need them.

City quietly cuts services used by many residents

Next month Tucson City Council members will start discussing what public programs they're willing to sacrifice to make up for a looming $51 million budget shortfall. They told City Manager Mike Hein to bring them suggestions by then.

But even before that public discussion, city departments have started quietly cutting services and eliminating part-time and seasonal workers.

The cuts are not part of the $10 million Hein told the council it needs to slash, but are listed in city budget memos as departmental cuts — although many are services residents use daily, not administrative belt tightening.

These change apparently include the following [the article is rather sketchy and of the he said/he said variety]:

• shutting down most year-round swimming pools for the winter, closing recreation centers on weekends and cutting hours on weekdays.
• elimination of the free Downtown shuttle
• stop providing Parks Dept staff workers for distributing food from the Community Food Bank

I would like to know where the money is going. Our Tucson sales tax is horrendous. My property tax goes up significantly every year. Wages are depressed. But services are constantly cut back or charged for or both.

The only thing Tucson seems to be able to do is cater to the real estate industry and build highways with artwork along the edges.

The only way to view the US is from inside an automobile (or be rich enough to have a house on a hill)? There are cities in this world that are a pleasure to be in, but few of them are in the US.

Oh, we do still have some beautiful National Forests, even after eight years of Bush. But if McCain should win we probably won't have those for long either.