Saturday, November 11, 2017

The New "Crisis": 9-1-1 Funding

At least two local TV outlets (12 and 58) ran "crisis" stories about 9-1-1 funding--one focusing on Milwaukee County, the other on Waukesha.

Summary:  the gummints want MORE MONEY!  Unstated:  they're stealing the money you gave them in the first damn place.

At least 58 had the courtesy to provide background on the funding "crisis."

...Every month when you pay your cell phone bill, you’re charged a 75-cent “Police and Fire Protection Fee”. 

This money was initially designed to fund local emergency dispatch, but in 2009, faced with declining revenue, state legislators moved that money into the general fund. That money is dispersed through shared revenue, forcing city and county dispatch centers to rely primarily on local money to fund training, staff, and technology....

In other words, "Diamond Jim" Doyle and the Democrats stole the money back in 2009.  But they sorta-kinda gave it back through "shared revenue."  Then the various County Gummints diverted the money to other things, like salaries and benefits, or shiny objects in the road.  And they're still not putting it where they are supposed to put it.

As usual, "More Money" is not going to fix this.  Prioritizing the money will.

And as usual, a little revolution can be a good thing.  Toast your local-Gummint County-twit. 

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