Cities like ColoSprings can't run at a deficit because they don't have the authority to borrow money. Some states can, but its rare for cities other than bond issues for narrowly tailored purposes like buildings or roads.Don't most cities and states have laws about expenses not outweighing revenues? I can't even imagine if my city and state didn't have those laws.
I strongly suspect that this is a ploy to raise taxes. You'll note, they haven't cut the lights at city hall yet. These cuts are designed to be felt by the populace and soften them up for the inevitable tax increase.
You want to piss off your constituents? Take away their garbage services.
For the record, our garbage is privately contracted...wonder why Colorado Springs hasn't allowed a private company like Waste Management to bid for the contract if they can't deliver the services...
Oh yeah...because garbage services are a tool to force the hand of the populace.
What's interesting to me about this is that Colorado Springs is about as libertarian a town as exists in the US. If they are having trouble paying the bills and are cutting in ways that people find offensive, this speaks to how well the libertarian philosophy of governing works.
Here's the town's own website: City of Colorado Springs - HOME
Notice that the first thing you see is a rolling set of justifications for city taxes: "you may not have realized this, but the city pays for your police protection....parks....roads...."
It is, but for the sake of government spending that's little different from libertarianism.i thought colorado springs was a hotbed of conservative Christiandom - the evangelical vatican:
Day eight: Sunday morning in the 'evangelical Vatican' | World news | guardian.co.uk
Colorado Springs is going to become a ghetto military town.
To raise the taxes sufficiently though we'd have to first repeal TABOR. One problem is that TABOR is indexed wrong and prevents tax growth to keep up with the needs of a growing State. Some things are set in stone and we can't take money away from it, others have a floating budget, and overall CO is severely restricted in how much we can raise tax. It was a good idea till Wall Street and the banks ****ed over the system so hardcore. CO was one of the few fiscally responsible states out there, and now we're paying the price.
manitou, that's the place to be.It is, but for the sake of government spending that's little different from libertarianism.
Colorado Springs is dominated by evangelicals and the military (five military installations nearby, including the Air Force Academy). Not exactly a bunch of liberals. If you want that, move down the road a bit to Boulder. Of liberals, they have more than their share.
awesome article. A Repubs dream come true. Why not just eliminate the Police and Fire Department all together? Hey its not my fault or problem if you get robbed or if your home burns down thats what certain insurance is for..If everyone bought a gun and a pit bull things would be much better..Lights?? Who needs to walk down the roads at night? you should be home. Autos have headlights to help you see where you are driving. Damn if you can't see well enough in the dark you shouldn't be walking around then...
i thought colorado springs was a hotbed of conservative Christiandom - the evangelical vatican:
Day eight: Sunday morning in the 'evangelical Vatican' | World news | guardian.co.uk
It is, but for the sake of government spending that's little different from libertarianism.
Colorado Springs is dominated by evangelicals and the military (five military installations nearby, including the Air Force Academy). Not exactly a bunch of liberals. If you want that, move down the road a bit to Boulder. Of liberals, they have more than their share.
So, it relies on 'government spending' aka military spending to support its tax base? What would happen to Colorado Springs if those military bases and the Air Force Academy closed, I wonder?
if the public lands in the county now dedicated for military purposes were no longer exempt from ad valorem taxes as a result, the community coffers might be swelled
but probably not enough to offset the revenues lost to diminished sales taxes
and it would seem that a few of us have different views of libertarianism. evangelicals tend not to demonstrate the tolerant live and let live philosophy that i associate with libertarianism. which causes me not to perceive that place as a strong libertarian community
is TABOR that different that what has been handicapping california, where the public can vote for new government programs while simultaneously voting to prohibit the raising of taxes to fund the costs of those new programs
Just finished reading the article .... damn, just damn.
That place IS in trouble. The kind of cuts they are talking about are going to lead to even fewer revenues down the road. Nobody shops in a scary, dangerous place with bad roads.
REALLY stupid.
What is TABOR?
Property taxes were voted down.Yup, everything bad is the illegals' fault. :roll:
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