Lights, Parks, Police Oh My!

Article:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123691065

Do you walk in the streets at night wondering if the street lights are going to turn off, leaving you in the dark to find your way? Do you walk through the parks in your city picking up trash at every step you take having no place to go to the restroom? Do you walk in the city seeing less and less policemen and firemen everyday? Well, most of us would say no but for the residents of Colorado Springs, Colorado these things are a reality. The city has turned off street lights, stopped much maintenance in parks, and cut the number of policemen and firemen in the city.

These are just some of the ways that Colorado Springs is attempting to fill the $28 million budget gap for the city in 2010. Why is the city government making these cuts? Some say that this is a typical tactic of the government to make public cuts to make people feel some kind of suffering. Is this tactic a good tactic? Does it work? I would say not. I believe that this tactic gives the people of the city and country a lack of pride in their government. If the city can not provide a clean park or lit street for children to walk home on then how can the government provide the people with solid healthcare and schools? I believe that if more cities make these kinds of cuts then the American confidence in the government will drop and our infrastructure may begin to crumble.

Terms:
National League of Cities-"the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States"

Revenue: the entire amount of income before any deductions are made.

Budget Gap: The amount of money by which a government exceeds the set budget.