(1)  The major one would have been to cut compensations of city and school employees to the FY2000 levels after back-adjusting for inflation and to cut further compensations by 30% phased @ 10% per year to compensate for the huge security factor particularly during these times of private sector sufferings which will during the next several years further erode the jobs problems even in Hampton Roads with the inevitable measurable scalebacks of DOD.  

So, the exacerbation of the ratio of security and unrelenting widening of the private sector, all governments with few exceptions not only should not but cannot not justify being fat while the private sector is getting leaner.  

Anything less is a moral and ethical abomination which should be enough to evict current elected officials at the local and state levels who are incapable of adjusting what is obvious thinking.  

At the federal level and contrary to most ignorant electorates, they have suffered through many years of intermittent compensation freezes making them suffer comparable lags of quite immense proportions which at top levels exceeds 100%.  

Additionally, since retirement compensations are directly tied to length of service and pay levels, federal retirees have suffered double whammies with reduced annuities.  Just for a quick note also, federal employees have contributed to their retirements with matching amounts by the federal government.

(2)   Dovetailing with the prior reasoning starting at the top, the City Manager is ignorant (or outrightly lies or is also stupid), when his position to justify his compensation even exceeding the Governor's, he said he's really responsible for a $2B.  

His deception is astounding and also insulting to the public.  He effectively is only responsible for a $1B non-school division budget and to compare himself to outside compensation flies in the face of any governmental levels starting at the White House, Congress and moreover, HE DOES NOT AS A GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYEE SUFFER THE R-I-S-K-S OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHICH IN ITSELF IS AN ENORMOUS JUSTIFICATION FOR THE DISPARITIES WHICH HE WILL NOT ADMIT AND IS INCAPABLE OF LEVELING WITH THE PEOPLE.

(3)  From an economic standpoint this entire nation must increase its production and productivity in order not only to successfully compete with the world but to scorn, prevent or abolish any policies which create non-productive work at any level such as additional administration costs in fees' collection.  So, any recommended changes for trash should be summarily rejected on its face.

(4)  The levying of fees will further increase citizens' taxes because fees under current law are not federally deductible and its effect (unless specifically legislated otherwise) will also be felt at the State level also.

(5)  Most school employees' (e.g., teachers) work a considerably reduced number of paid hours annually than do other federal, state and local employees and should always be considered in determining fair rates of compensation.  The suffer little risks as well of losing their jobs.

(6)  I have no doubt whatever that vertical employees reductions particularly at the top heavy levels of both the City and the School Division would yield additional multi-millions in savings.

(7)  In one meeting I attended last winter at the Central Library, I stated that my above proposals approaches a 50% savings or $1B savings zone.  

To resurrect the refuse issue again is to bluntly and correctly label this Council representing a collection of PEA BRAINS OWNED AND OPERATED BY SPECIAL INTERESTS, E.G., DEVELOPERS, BUILDERS AND BANKERS WHO THE MAYOR IS ONE AND SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ELECTED ESPECIALLY IN THESE TRYING TIMES.  HIS INTERESTS ARE DIRECTLY AT ODDS WITH THE PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE SHOULD WAKE UP TO THIS SIMPLE AND OBVIOUS FACT.

And here we are having to tackle the same old issues which should be dead and buried forever remains a factor of obvious incompetency among our leader of both the City and the School Division side.

A bold footnote:  Global studies and comparisons on the School Side have in recent years yielded that many nations have surpassed the U. S. on many scholastic factors and whose gap continues to widen.  

There is one factor that stands out and that is that in every, repeat, every case national controls govern school policies not 15,000 (or whatever the up-dated number is) disparate school divisions.  

So the Right Wing is dead wrong  pursuing local controls when the world is seriously passing us by.  I WOULD SUBMIT THAT BECAUSE OF THIS NATION'S SIZE AND heterogeneity, THAT THE COUNTRY BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR (4) MAJOR ZONES REPORTABLE TO THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION who would exercise enhance powers over the present.   

We need bold, new and comparative as well as historical thinking to govern out policies.  No nibble around the edges is working when our nation is paying twice as much per capita as other nations while continuing to dangerously and seriously slip destining this nation to 3rd world status if not turned around dramatically.  

An observation.  In looking at the School Division School Board as to how it operates, it deals almost exclusively on matters which the Superintendent and his Assistants should deal with without the need to kick the decision-making upstairs.  So, I wonder why we're are compensating those School leaders so much today with such a degree of micro-managing so much minutia.  

This is no small matter because revolutionary fresh national policies must be grasped and implemented if this nation is to survive in the future.

In closing, let's pursue further discussion to once and for all engage the Council and School Board to think big and realistically and specifically in the instant case embed for eternity the very, very flawed notion of refuse pick-up fees vice their being embedded in the real estate tax.

And lastly, let us the citizenry ensure any future council members have as their credentials, at least seven (7) successfully passed courses in Economics at a reputable University to prevent such wasteful and wrongheaded exercises of these natures.  

Hell most haven't exhibited a clue of any acceptable understandings which as never before should be the basis for decision-making more than any other considerations.


J. Dominic R. Desnoyers - Virginia Beach

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