Hey, it's not my fault...
The year I graduated from high school, there was a movie going around entitled "Love Story", starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw. I can't remember much about the plot, or who I was with when I saw it. It doesn't really seem like it was that long ago, but I saw the other day that Ali McGraw turns 73 this year. That kind of hurts a little.
The last line in the movie was something like "Love means never having to say you're sorry". I never quite understood what that meant. I figure just about everybody needs to issue a good old heartfelt apology in a relationship every once in a while, even if it's just for general principles.
I also saw the other day that the city of Indianapolis had been ordered to pay $1.55 million to the family of a man that was killed by a drunken city policeman. While the city agreed to make the payment, it opted not to make any statement or accept any blame for the killing. Now, I'm a firm believer that people are responsible for their own actions, and the guilty officer should actually be the one paying the fine along with serving his jail time. But the police department also went out of its way to make sure much of the evidence gathered at the scene couldn't be used in court , and even if the city felt no responsibility for hiring this caliber of officer, it certainly owed some sort of apology for the conduct of the department.
Meanwhile, back at home here in Wayne County, many voters are starting to figure out that the EDC, Richmond, and the county don't always use the $30 some million that they have seized through the Economic Development Income Tax in the manner they originally agreed upon . You might think that the EDC might be just a little embarrassed after dropping the ball so many times, but instead has pledged to carry on with "business as usual".
Several years ago, the federal government started collecting money from taxpayers to help cover their retirement and health care. Then, instead of saving that money, they spent it on all manner of unrelated projects, to the point of driving the accounts into insolvency. You might think the government would feel a little guilty by all of this, and allow people to opt out and get out from under this huge debacle. Or at least apologize for the mess they have created.
But apparently, being the government means never having to say they're sorry.
Now that, I understand.
The last line in the movie was something like "Love means never having to say you're sorry". I never quite understood what that meant. I figure just about everybody needs to issue a good old heartfelt apology in a relationship every once in a while, even if it's just for general principles.
I also saw the other day that the city of Indianapolis had been ordered to pay $1.55 million to the family of a man that was killed by a drunken city policeman. While the city agreed to make the payment, it opted not to make any statement or accept any blame for the killing. Now, I'm a firm believer that people are responsible for their own actions, and the guilty officer should actually be the one paying the fine along with serving his jail time. But the police department also went out of its way to make sure much of the evidence gathered at the scene couldn't be used in court , and even if the city felt no responsibility for hiring this caliber of officer, it certainly owed some sort of apology for the conduct of the department.
Meanwhile, back at home here in Wayne County, many voters are starting to figure out that the EDC, Richmond, and the county don't always use the $30 some million that they have seized through the Economic Development Income Tax in the manner they originally agreed upon . You might think that the EDC might be just a little embarrassed after dropping the ball so many times, but instead has pledged to carry on with "business as usual".
Several years ago, the federal government started collecting money from taxpayers to help cover their retirement and health care. Then, instead of saving that money, they spent it on all manner of unrelated projects, to the point of driving the accounts into insolvency. You might think the government would feel a little guilty by all of this, and allow people to opt out and get out from under this huge debacle. Or at least apologize for the mess they have created.
But apparently, being the government means never having to say they're sorry.
Now that, I understand.
Labels: government spending
posted by Rex Bell at 9:44 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home