Thursday, September 9, 2010

Budget cuts aren't

really cuts at all

I had to smile and then chuckle as I read about the Monroe County budget and our County Administrator Mr. Roman Gastesi's view on "budget cuts." Is anyone else as confused as I am about these so-called "cuts"?

If I'm reading the story right, Monroe County is "cutting the budget" by not spending money for people and equipment we haven't purchased or hired. Let me get this straight: If we don't hire four new employees for fire-rescue, we are "cutting $275,000 from the budget"? That's about $70,000 per person. Also, Mr. Gastesi says by¬ not purchasing a $322,000 tanker truck we "cut the budget" again by this much.

So, let's say we save a lot more money by not hiring 10 fire-rescue employees; wow, that saves us almost $700,000, And let's say we don't purchase four tanker trucks; we just saved another almost $1.3 million. Let's not also paint the [Monroe County] Detention Center (jail) three times and "cut the budget" by another $675,000. Using this thought process, I could "cut" millions from the county budget.

Mr. Gastesi, when I was in charge of a large budget, I was taught that "cutting" a budget involved cutting existing operating costs on personnel and equipment. That meant a RIF (reduction in force) of personnel and cuts in other areas. You save nothing by not purchasing something nor hiring someone.

The citizens and taxpayers of Monroe County, many of whom are strapped and struggling, deserve a better explanation than has been given. When you have surrounded yourself with the same thought process ... no one wants to or can think "out of the box." If you would like some fresh ideas from someone very capable of thinking outside the box with nearly 30 years' experience, you can contact me at P.O. Box 500223, Marathon. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Kevin Wilkinson

Marathon

Rally at capital was an inspirational event

I attended Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally in D.C. [recently]. How wonderful to pray with half a million people among our nation's monuments to Washington, Lincoln, and our war dead. This was an event of God and Jesus Christ. And of honoring our nation's service members.

The first story I read of the event said Sarah Palin made a political statement by contrasting transformation with restoration. Her contribution was to present three military heroes and tell their stories, that the crowd may honor them. She was there as the mother of a combat soldier. She honored them well.

Dr. Alveda King's talk was among the best. She spoke of her uncle, Martin Luther King Jr., and a restoration of his principles as well. She attended in spite of death threats.

The singing of "Amazing Grace" and the story of its author, a slave ship captain who found redemption, may have moved the crowd most.

One of my most moving experiences that day was after the event, when the Rev. Al Sharpton led a march to "reclaim Martin Luther King" near the Lincoln Memorial. I exchanged God's blessings with the King marchers and we exchanged shouts of "peace" and "one nation." One marcher came off the street to hug me. Maybe America reclaimed MLK that day.

We all laughed with the guy on the curb watching the march while holding a "Glenn Beck is a terrorist" sign.

David Carter

Key West

All is fair in

love and war

Re: Monique A[cevedo]. We embrace, we love, we hate.

As likely as trust is to the Internet, our value of life is cherished between the military industrial complex and our boys and girls bleeding out into the ground over there.

I find it odd the [aforementioned] is OK for phantom dollars and what they buy, when our own daughter, a naughty girl perhaps, finds severity and is sent to prison in a housedress, akin to being buried in the dirt with only her head above ground, amongst an angry, clamoring crowd [and] someone throws the first stone. ...

Justice seen through fogged lenses is served piping hot in unique situations, where in others a simple stoning or the gallows will do. Sex kittens and elitists get to go free.

Either way, case in point, the full extent of our compassion is given to you in mob mentality as we attend a gay bashing of sorts to an economic crime and find the attendance quite OK, we watch!

No second thoughts clamoring and biased.

If you stole from us, how did you get a fair trial from us?

We embrace, we love, we hate, oh, and what's for supper?

Once said "all is fair in love and war." (John Lyly 1578)

John Gerace

Big Pine Key