Another 10 grand wasted.

"[Metro Nashville] Council recently appropriated $10,000 for an economic impact study to determine whether the high number of out-of-county employees has a detrimental effect on the local economy." From the Nashville City Paper.

Today's Nashville City Paper has an article regarding a non-binding resolution to ask Mayor Purcell to require Metro employees to live in Nashville. It has never made sense to me that folks who come into our city to work take all those taxpayer dollars, excepting lunch money perhaps, out of county. I can't think of a better first line of accountability than having the very people who create our city live with their creation. You want to improve public education--make teachers enroll their students there. You want to improve public health care--make that the primary health care provider for public employees. You want to improve social security--make government employees participate.

How dare these folks fight for and demand higher wages and benefit and tax increases to pay for them and not be willing to foot the property bills to pay for them? How dare they tell us with one side of their mouths how great this city is and then refuse to walk the talk? According to this article the deputy mayor doesn't live in Nashville. How can that be?

And if disaster should strike, will they be able to get back into Nashville to do their jobs? Or will they stay in their own communities and render help their neighbors and family instead? This ought not to be. It's a no brainer and another $10,000 that could have gone toward the schools, or seniors or better public transportation to relieve congestion on those interstates leading out of town.