Clearwater's Department of Parks and Recreation Chairman
Posted on 08/01/2009 8:57:37 AM PDT by Brandonmark
CLEARWATER — Here's probably the most bizarre casualty of shrinking government budgets you'll hear.
The city of Clearwater can no longer afford to fly the American flag.
Clearwater's parks and recreation director ordered the removal of 13 flagpoles from across the city this week saying budget cuts have made it impossible to properly care for the flags.
"Over the last three years, the parks and recreation staff has been reduced by 25 percent,'' explained director Kevin Dunbar. "When you have a flagpole, you have certain responsibilities. The flag has to be lit at night, if a flag has a rip in it, it has (to be removed). We don't have the staff to monitor these things anymore.''
So this week, Dunbar had city workers pull the poles out of the ground. The last flagpoles were removed Friday. It appears to be the first time the American flag has been yanked from a government facility because of budget problems, according to a search of U.S. newspaper reports.
The distinction was almost immediately loathed by city residents, veterans and even elected members of the City Council.
How much can maintaining the flag cost, they wondered. Why couldn't volunteers take over for the city, they asked.
Why wasn't the City Council consulted?
"It sounds preposterous to me,'' said George Wiltshire, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Clearwater. "I can't believe a municipality the size of Clearwater can't afford to maintain flagpoles."
Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, who was unaware city flagpoles had been removed, said the decision would be discussed at a Monday city work session.
City Council member George Cretekos said the policy will have to be reconsidered.
"The flag means an awful lot to 99.9 percent of the people,'' said Cretekos, who volunteered to care for the flags......
(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...
Let me guess, leftists are in charge of the city council.
Yep, don’t get rid of some marginally or poorly performing bureaucrat.
Get rid of the flags instead
These are IN YOUR FACE politicians. Yank them from office.
Clearwater is plenty of retire vets, time for new blood in gov’t.
Clearwater city council = a joke and embarrassment.
Even if the dollars weren’t there in the city budget, a VFW post, Boy Scout troop, etc. couldn’t have been found to take it over?
I’m would think the American Legion or VFW would take on this responsibility, if asked?
Clearwater's Department of Parks and Recreation Chairman
I'm also sure they could find groups of volunteers to raise and lower the flags every day.
Penny wise, pound foolish.
Probably all “liberal” Dim Dhims also.
Scandalous.
| Let me guess, leftists are in charge of the city council.
|
I realized that when I read the article more closely. I figure it was Bill Ayers.
What a lame excuse to ditch the flag!
Ayers and BC of a wife should be taking dirt naps for this.
Get rid of the flags instead.
That's really what we're talking about here. Some overpaid desk jockey overseeing overpaid lawn mowers that get paid triple time to care for the flags because they have to be raised and lowered after "normal working hours".
What I don't get is ripping the poles out of the ground. Why not just leave them?
Interesting that Dunbar had the money in his budget to hire workers to remove the flagpoles!
Exactly! Such a decision had to be politically motivated using the budget as a cover.
Well, Clearwater is being silly. It’s a publicity stunt. They could haul down the flags in the evening, turn off the lights, restitch the flags, and fly them again the next day. I’ll bet you could find some veterans to take turns performing the duties if it came to that.
Otherwise, store the flags and turn out the lights till Clearwater can balance its budget. Taking down the poles, too, makes no sense to me.
Things like this did not happen when the World War II generation was still in charge.
yet we seem to have enough money to provide handouts like the cash for clunkers?
i’m sooo glad i’m able to work 60-80 hrs/week for these freakin idiots
if i could avoid getting arrested, i would have stopped paying taxes 6 months ago
Here’s a novel concept - how about the useless POS City Council take a 50% pay cut - “For the good of the community, you know, to GIVE SOMETHING BACK to the community” - so that there will be money to keep the flags in place?
Here’s another novel idea - how about the good citizens of Clearwater show up outside of the next City Council meeting and DEMAND THAT THOSE FLAGS BE REPLACED OR CITY COUNCIL RESIGN IMMEDIATELY.
Here’s another idea - Every single Veteran in Clearwater show up at the next election and present themselves as opposition candidates against the incumbents?
If none of that works, there’s always tar and feathers.
I’ll bet they have a “program” for illegal aliens.
Talk radio will pick this up. I can hear Hannity already.
Bill Ayers: shown standing proudly on an American flag—in an overgrown crawl space between two buildings.
This is not bureaucratic incompetence.
This is standard operating procedure, especially in Ohio.
In Ohio, when a school wants more money, the first thing they do is cancel football and band and then they threaten to keep cutting with the most popular things being cut first.
Salaries are the last to go, even behind required maintenence on the building. They will put the safety of the children at stake before cutting salaries.
Here, instead of cutting football, they are saying “give me more money, or the flags will go”.
Bill Ayers, friend of Obama and domestic terrorist.
“Clearwater’s Department of Parks and Recreation Chairman”
What is your source for this? I hope you are not trying to slander Clearwater’s Department of Parks and Recreation Chairman. If you know this is not him, and you intended it to harm his reputation, you are guilty of slander. . .
Surely you didn’t miss my point.
A##h%#es!!!
I have a novel approach to this situation, Have the Boy Scouts maintain the flags and the poles.
Do we still have Boy Scouts in Clearwater Florida?
Disgusting manipulation of a servile population.
...Respectfully in private...
...Thinking there should be a tax on all of us to manufacture the Stars and Stripes, millions of them, and give them away. How about a nonprofit organization. A flag czar! Print them out like money!! The new PHOOKIN Flag Distribution Reserve!!!
...I'll buy them one!!!!!!! Someone, help me out with an address...
Ironically, it probably cost more to remove the poles than to pay one city worker to care for the flags full-time. It would make more sense, and have at least better PR, to tell the public that they’re temporarily leaving the flagpoles bare because of budget constraints and are studying the issue than to just rip the flagpoles out and tell everybody they’re gone permanently.
And, how hard is it to assign flag care as a collateral duty to somebody already on the payroll? I just don’t see how the flags are such a budget-killer. I forgot, it’s city government. There’s no way they’ll do common sense measures, like scrutinize what vehicles people drive and how much officials are spending to decorate their offices. I’m sure the high-rankers just can’t live without leather-bound notebooks and Blackberrys, too. Idiots.
FWIW, Scientology is based in Clearwater, and the city administration is pretty heavy influenced by the “church.”
I have no idea whether there is a connection between that fact and this decision.
Exactly! Oh...and don’t forget school buses. They stick it to the parents, especially working parents and those who’s children are too young to make a long distance walk back and forth, safely.
...AND ANOTHER THING, TAKE THE FLAG OFF THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE CAPITAL AND GIVE IT TO SOMEONE THAT IS PROUD TO FLY IT!!!!
Here is an Idea fire Ken and the crew to save the flage.
Yeah, sure.
It's a huge liability issue. A couple of years a go, a little girl was killed in a freak accident when a flagpole toppled over. The flagpole was rusted on the inside, but the rust was not visable on the outside.
Hey! Why not manufacture flagpoles out of something that doesn't rust?
Which is why they SPENT money to take down the poles?
They even expect us to accept this kind of crap. That's because the leftist standard of response is civil disobedience while the right stays civil. Thus, if we complain, they don't hear it.
I bet the Boy Scouts would take care of this duty. Or perhaps they have been run out of town.
Prepare to be infuriated even more:
http://tampa.about.com/b/2008/07/15/clearwaters-dunbar-finance-department-receive-awards.htm
Whenever I see that photo I get really angry.
Ayers better pray that he never meets me in a dark alley.
“We don’t have the staff to monitor these things anymore.”
THESE THINGS!!!!
Give me a break....what has happened to the love & respect for our country, our flag, and showing proper respect for “these things”?
How much did it cost to remove the poles. Leaving the poles empty *might* save money. Digging up flagpoles has got to cost some cash.
Go figure.
CLEARWATER, FL 33764
Political Campaign Contributions
2008 Election Cycle
Zip Code Totals
Total Money $61,736
Money To Democrats $12,049 (%20)
Money To Republicans $33,002 (%53)
The flag means an awful lot to 99.9 percent of the people,’’ said Cretekos, who volunteered to care for the flags
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Let me guess, ripping them out and disposing of them cost more than three years of keeping them going the way they were.