There has always been a disconnect between mainstream media and the blogosphere but nowhere has it been more apparent than in the case of the recent ruckus over a pay raise approved by The Mayor and City Council.
On this subject, The Kansas City Post files the definitive blog entry. Here's the money line:
At a time when many city workers will be forced out the door to find work in a tough job market, it's more important than ever to show leadership. Leadership is not firing people while giving yourself a raise. Leadership is also not hiding in a back room while the rest of your council colleagues face the tough decisions in the light of day.Fact is, for the most part reporters and media people in this town are hopelessly middle-class and most of them live in Johnson County or other surrounding suburbs . . . By nature media folk are also greedy careerists for the most part, so a pay raise in the midst of others getting fired almost seems like a good thing to them.
Public sentiment on this one is pretty clear:
THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL SEEM LIKE HYPOCRITES BECAUSE OF THE PAY RAISE!!!
The only point where I depart with Forsythe is that I think Beth Gottstein is doing the right thing by making a promise to give the money back . . . It's the right kind of gesture and even a simple objection to the pay raises or a NO vote would have sufficed. City Hall is facing cutbacks, the workers there are really taking on the chin (nullus) . . . This pay raise seems like a move similar to every CEO with a golden parachute and a big part of why people have very little faith or trust in their elected officials.
How's Gottstein going to do that? The taxes will be taken out, and it will be more difficult than it looks. If she had a backbone, she would not have left the room--she'd stay there and vote no. These raises are small--it's the factthatthey are coupled with cuts and fear and low morale, and no one is LEADING.
ReplyDeleteBeth Gottstinks
ReplyDeleteThis is one my favorite photo re-purposings of the year.
ReplyDeleteI'll spare you the details.
Yours,
John Brown
Court Ordered Psychiatrist
it doesn't really do anything for her to give the money back. She might as well keep it.
ReplyDeleteMark is not always right. His posts are boring to read.
That was an excellent post by Mark. Direct, straightforward and to the point. You could learn a thing or two from the guy Tony.
ReplyDeleteCatch 22 for Beth. If she stays and votes no, her colleagues call her a grandstander because she will save herself and keep the money. However,she said she wanted to give the money back. She can not give the money back unless she does so as a donation to the city. I will give her the benefit of the doubt that she didn't know that when she made that promise. If she was told in closed session that she couldn't give it back and made that public claim after, her fellow council members will punish her.
ReplyDeleteLet Councilwoman Gottstein donate the money to her schul... the New Reform Temple. At least the money would be going for something decent and good.
ReplyDelete