Not happy with our new city Mayor.

[rendermandan]

Ok guys, I have to let this out somewhere and I wanted to get a discussion going about how f'd up politics is.

Here is whats been going on in my city. (Omaha, Ne), over the past few years.

We spends millions of dollars on a new convention center (Qwest Center) so as to bring in larger acts to the community. -Ok, but we are in a huge debt now.

Second, They, as in the NCAA College world series and our Mayor decided that it would be a good idea to throw away a perfectly good base ball stadium and build a new one. (One that will only be used 1 week of the year!) -Forcing our local Omaha Royals team to relocate and build their own stadium in another city.
-I think this is a huge waste of money, considering we are still paying for the new convention center.

Now, Our latest addition to the city is a beautiful walking bridge that goes from an area near the convention center over the Missouri river to a park in Council Bluffs Ia. -Its just a grassy field. Nothing special over there. So the only people that use the bridge are bums that have now where else to sleep.
Again, another huge waist of money.

So that was all done with our last Mayor. We now have a new mayor, and I'm not too happy with him right now either.

Lets see, to start, he announced that our property taxes would be going up because of the city's debt.
Second, he announced that all his employees would be getting raises. HUGE Raises. -His financial officer went from making $100,000 per year to $180,000. Thats a $80,000 per year raise.
Now, where do you think they will come up with that money????
Well, he decided to close all the public swimming pools 1 week early this year to save $79,000. NICE!
So not only do the kids have nothing to do for 1 week less now, he also put the hundreds of life guards out of a job for 1 week, with no pay. NICE!

It doesn't end there. He is also considering closing some public library's.
-Wow, way to really make your citizens happy.

So we live in one of the most heavily taxes cities in the country, they are raising our taxes, and we are getting less out of it. Real great city I live in huh?

Ok, now to top all of this off, this wonderful Mayor we have. I could not vote in the election. I live just outside the city limits, but I have to abide by the city laws. So I'm not allowed to vote... That really sucks!!!

I know what your going to say, "Why don't you move?" well, believe me, I'm starting to consider it.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this, As I'd like as many people to read what a crappy Mayor we have.

[nevermind1534]

Wow. Sounds pretty bad. There was Kwame Kilpatrick (google) a few cities over, but nothing too terribly bad where I am, at least.

[mtekk]

Be happy that you don't live in Minnesota, where the state legislature decided they were above the law and gave the local baseball team a new 500+ million dollar field and raised taxes to do so. The State Constitution requires things like that to go on a general election ballot, but they decided they know what's better for us than we do. Then they passed a bunch of Nanny State laws, no smoking in bars (I don't smoke but I think the premise of the law is stupid), mandatory seat-belt (I always wear a seat-belt but non-the-less it should not be law) and child safety/booster seat until the child is in 4th grade (what happened to personal responsibility). They decided that the state lottery doesn't get enough in revenue to fund the DNR (which is already over funded despite what they'll tell you in public) so they put to ballot a "Clean water amendment" where they raised our sales tax. Last summer they decided our gas tax was too low (yes at the beginning of this recession) and raised it (It's gone up three times in the last year). :mad:

In my home town the school board decided that we needed a second High School in the district to provide more sports teams (they actually promoted it that way, and the idiots approved the referendum on the first shot). They asked for way more money than the needed, and no they won't give it back, so they spent it on hardwood floors in the new High School, yes you read that correctly, hardwood floors in the main hallways (at least according to the local paper, I haven't been in it yet, but it is opening this fall so there should be an open house). The district also decided that the new High School baseball team needed a nice stadium field, so they attempted twice to get the city to pay for it under the premise that the city could start a minor league city team and use it when the district is not. I don't remember if that went through but I wouldn't doubt it. :fight:

If I had the time I'd run for school board and fire the superintendent and principal of the new High School (the two that heavily promoted the new waste of money). I'd probably have to get allies elected as well. :fight:

Also, I find it ridiculous that you can die for you country at 18 but you're not old enough to consume alcohol or purchase a pistol (or pistol ammunition). Neither affect me now, but they're still stupid.

[Zephik]

There HAS to be a way to solve this problem of electing brain damaged monkeys into positions of power. I mean, the whole you gotta spend money to make money makes sense and all, but not while you're A) In a recession and B) In debt. Then you throw that on top of your people's back for them to carry.

Maybe the bar of requirements is set too low or something? Well, I guess if we raise it any higher we won't have anyone to elect. There's the problem. We need a massively better education system in this country. Our candidates would hopefully become a bit smarter and the average person would hopefully be much smarter. That would at least take off an edge to a lot of this countries problems anyways.

Well the good news is, if you do decide to move, there are lots of choices around right now and for some pretty good prices. There was a home over here that was worth 800k+ and it just sold for around 400k. Gotta love bankruptcy houses.

[xRyokenx]

I've determined that the majority of people that call themselves "politicians" these days are not such. It's like they're playing a big game that everyone else is paying for. I also don't like the whole party system where it's like a really big football game. It would be cooler if people tried to make everything work instead of being hard-headed, close-minded morons, but oh well.

And that is my view of politics.

[KiLLERMAN21]

Yeah, our council here is stupid as well. They were in debt for a few million dollars (we are right on the edge of being a city by the way, that's 20 000 people) and they decide to basically renovate the main street.

Already in debt, they decide to borrow a million or two more to do the work and to raise taxes on the businesses to help re-pay the debt, but then, 'Oh my, were in debt and we just borrowed a million more and we still need a million more TO DO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET!'

So now, one side of the street has wider footpaths, new bins, and its a lot cleaner (not that the other side is dirty.) A whole new look, basically. Oh, and they also put small islands in the middle of the road with trees planted in them, which does look good but was completely unnecessary. All it did was make an average street narrower and not much more.

So one side of the street looks all fine and dandy, while the other is a bit shabby, but all businesses are paying the higher tax, even those that have a crappy footpath! Its completely ridiculous. The workmanship is terrible as well, there's cracks everywhere. They really give me the ****s.

ALL HAIL ANARCHISM!

[NightrainSrt4]

Wow, that sucks. Closing public library's is horrendous. As for making bars non-smoking, I agree with that. It's not hard to walk outside to have a smoke, and it opens up more business to people who can't go to bars because of the smoke. That would include me, and thousands/millions of people I can't count. Putting islands with trees in the middle of a road is retarded. Yes it will look pretty for a bit, but once those roots take hold underneath the tarmac all hell will break loose. But by that time they will try and have a whole new main street remade anyway.

Here in MA they were talking about closing the Zoo's that get state funding. It cost them all of 1 million or something a year to keep going. Well they want to close them. Oh, and they are increasing our sales tax from 5% to 6.25%, which will yield them like 670$ million the first year only, and yet 1 million can't be tossed to something our children love to go see and experience. If the zoo's close most every animal there will have to be euthanized.

I don't like the system we live in, yet I can't think of anything I can do to change it.

[crenn]

Best way to fix bad politians. Give them a low base salary and then an added salary based of their performance. **** politicians won't get much more than the base salary and good ones will get what they deserve for doing their job right.

[xRyokenx]

I remember the crap to do with the libraries when I lived in Omaha years ago. That was crap. The thing that really bothers me is the lack of adequate food for public school students, especially where I went to school. You'd think they'd be required to spend sufficient money on food instead of skimping and spending it all on the football team instead.

[Bopher]

Wow, that sucks. Closing public library's is horrendous. As for making bars non-smoking, I agree with that. It's not hard to walk outside to have a smoke, and it opens up more business to people who can't go to bars because of the smoke. That would include me, and thousands/millions of people I can't count. Putting islands with trees in the middle of a road is retarded. Yes it will look pretty for a bit, but once those roots take hold underneath the tarmac all hell will break loose. But by that time they will try and have a whole new main street remade anyway.

Here in MA they were talking about closing the Zoo's that get state funding. It cost them all of 1 million or something a year to keep going. Well they want to close them. Oh, and they are increasing our sales tax from 5% to 6.25%, which will yield them like 670$ million the first year only, and yet 1 million can't be tossed to something our children love to go see and experience. If the zoo's close most every animal there will have to be euthanized.

I don't like the system we live in, yet I can't think of anything I can do to change it.

When I was back there they merged the MassTransit and the Mass Pike or something and it saves them so many millions they can't take a couple of those and keep some penguins feed?

[KiLLERMAN21]

I don't like the system we live in, yet I can't think of anything I can do to change it.

I propose we form a secret society and assassinate all bad politicians! Muhahah.

Obama will stay.

[TheGreatSatan]

Oh, and they are increasing our sales tax from 5% to 6.25%

IL is @ 7.8%

Thank you Jesus Obama Christ

[apbrit2009]

the corporate lobbies are the real problem
through them, the politicians have sold our freedoms and rights to the highest bidders

[Datech]

Higher taxes are only a problem if the money is misspent. There are plenty of cities that have high taxes and all the money is put to good use, and there are plenty of cities with low taxes that will never grow because no one has money to do anything.

The old saying is "Those who can't do, teach." I consider teaching to be doing something very productive, so, "Those who can't do, go into politics..."

[rendermandan]

Thanks for your viewpoints on this guys. It gets even worse. check this out.
He is not rejecting 5.6 million in an offer to drop a proposed tax raise on entertainment expenses. This guy is just being an extreme dick now!

Here's the article.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090728/NEWS01/707289942