Surprise!!!! LR Firefighters union supports increasing our taxes

Times posted a story today where the firefighters union came out in support of the tax increase.

Here are just a few of my thoughts I put down as comments.......

They get $8.9 million for staffing and infrastructure....and then there is the numbers of millions they get to insure the safety of their pensions and will likely get in new future fat pay raises negotiated by that wizard negotiator down at city hall that also supports raising our taxes.....etc., etc., etc.

Oh yea...and then there is the part where a significant # of our fire personnel do not live in Little Rock, so hey, it is no sweat off their backs, many of them are not going to have to pay the taxes.

No reason to question the objectivity and legitimacy of this source of support for increasing our taxes...RIIIIIIIGHT!

and then there is this part about the wisdom of such action, on the jump...

"Richard Morehead, President of Little Rock Firefighters Union, said, “The city has not been able to add any fire stations since 1992, so just think about how much development has happened since then. Well that’s how much strain is on our department to provide the necessary services to the citizens of Little Rock. An investment in public safety will assist the firefighters in keeping your family safe- It's a smart investment and ‘Worth every Penny.’"

So wouldn't the translation of this be....just think how much activity the big time developers have been involved in increasing the city's footprint out west with little to no input from the LR planning commission or city board/mayor. They have made a ton of money doing it but now, due to their outward development, we have so much area to cover that our present revenue flow is not sufficient to cover our needs (even though they (developers and city hall) kept telling us "no need for impact fees because......outward development pays for itself", remember that part). So, to bad, we have no choice but to increase everyone's taxes...then we can put into place all kinds of expensive off-site urban facilities and services in these, essentially, rural areas. This in turn will increase the value of their properties out west and those same big time developers can flip their property at a big fat profit (at our expense).

This is what most guys in the development (property flipping) industry call a "good investment" (they pay a small up front cost, then they get us to pay a HUGE back end cost for expensive off-site infrastructure and services...they then turn around and sell the item at a huge profit. SEE HOW IT WORKS........ "GOOD INVESTMENT").

Or as our fire representative said..."It's a smart investment and ‘Worth every Penny.’"

Only question here is who is he directing this statement to....us or the developers???

Me thinks it is best suited for the developers.