Just to get my blood pumping in the morning, I occasionally tune in to the Fox and Friends, just to see what's on their minds. Better than coffee sometimes, and this morning was no disappointment. This morning they expressed disgust and outrage that, in a fit of budget squabbling, both the county and the city of Topeka, Kansas have passed votes that they will no longer prosecute domestic battery cases. Here is how Fox News reports the story:
"Due to a lack of funding in Topeka, Kansas, domestic violence will no longer be prosecuted there. Rather than increase taxes in the Kansas capital, the city made hard budget cuts, and prosecuting misdemeanors like domestic violence were the first to go. Since the debate began last month, more than 12 domestic violence suspects have walked out of jail free."
The Fox and Friends went on to castigate the politicians who would let such a heinous state of affairs come to pass. I didn't hear the rest, because I had to turn off the TV before I succumbed to my urge to pick up the TV and throw it out the window.
Actions, and the ideas behind them, have consequences. You can't beat the drum for lowering taxes, cutting debt, and balancing the budget for three years, then turn around and be outraged when the results of such actions produce real-world harm. That is the height, the definition, of hypocrisy. This is precisely why the Occupy movement is manifesting in more than 1000 cities, and continuing to grow.
As the common saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for - you just might get it." Well, in this instance, the Fox and Friends and all who listen to them have had their wish granted. Budgets are being drastically and increasingly cut at the federal, state, and local level. Are you happy now?
"Due to a lack of funding in Topeka, Kansas, domestic violence will no longer be prosecuted there. Rather than increase taxes in the Kansas capital, the city made hard budget cuts, and prosecuting misdemeanors like domestic violence were the first to go. Since the debate began last month, more than 12 domestic violence suspects have walked out of jail free."
The Fox and Friends went on to castigate the politicians who would let such a heinous state of affairs come to pass. I didn't hear the rest, because I had to turn off the TV before I succumbed to my urge to pick up the TV and throw it out the window.
Actions, and the ideas behind them, have consequences. You can't beat the drum for lowering taxes, cutting debt, and balancing the budget for three years, then turn around and be outraged when the results of such actions produce real-world harm. That is the height, the definition, of hypocrisy. This is precisely why the Occupy movement is manifesting in more than 1000 cities, and continuing to grow.
As the common saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for - you just might get it." Well, in this instance, the Fox and Friends and all who listen to them have had their wish granted. Budgets are being drastically and increasingly cut at the federal, state, and local level. Are you happy now?
Alex,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you are well off the any topics concerning strategic sourcing, supply chain, procurement, purchasing and spend management. Secondly, you have no clue what you are talking about. I am sure being the 'good liberal journalist' you are that you looked at Topeka's budget and determine cutting the police budget was the only way to make the budget.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, government budget cuts are spot on the subject of strategic sourcing, spend management, and the rest. Read my post on the $16 muffins.
Secondly, it's not the budget cuts per se that upset me. It's the advocating of stringent budget cuts, then decrying the results of those budget cuts. I'd be just as upset if Fox & Friends lambasted Topeka for a rise in crime because they laid off cops.
It is a circus atmosphere such as this, found more often in government than private business, that causes stakeholders to not buy into a strategic sourcing initiative which could very well reduce or eliminate the need for budget cuts, thus causing the project to fail or be limited in its success. This is one of the reasons that we at Source One do not engage in much government contracting.