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If Only Our Leaders Would Grope For Propriety ("Good Enough For Government Work")
Boston Herald ^ | June 5, 2008 | Michael Graham

Posted on 06/05/2008 5:22:20 AM PDT by suspects

“Whaddaya gotta do to get fired in this town?”

It’s a great question, asked by a co-worker of mine (emphasis on “worker”) shaking his head over the latest Department of Public Works story in the Herald. This time it was five city workers hanging out at the Northern Avenue Bridge, watching satellite TV and throwing steaks on the hibachi. After opening the swing bridge once a day, they’ve got nothing to do, all day to do it and the taxpayer’s dime to do it on.

My buddy, like every taxpayer reading that Herald story, knows that despite the obvious waste and incompetence, the only thing that’s going to get fired at the DPW is the grill. Every one of those employees will be back on the (for lack of a better term) “job” tomorrow.

The same is true at the Boston Fire Department where, according to another fine but infuriating Herald story, 122 firefighters mysteriously fell ill, all on the same day.

Memorial Day.

Nearly 20 percent of the entire BFD work force, all smitten on the Monday of a long holiday weekend.

What, did they all drink from the same water fountain?

Assuming - and I know this is a stretch, but please stick with me - that a few of those firefighters weren’t actually sick on Memorial Day, how many put their jobs on the line by playing hooky?

None. Even though all those shifts had to be covered using tax-funded overtime ($18.6 million this fiscal year, and counting), not one firefighter is facing serious punishment, much less risking his job.

Not that Boston is run by pushovers, mind you. City Councilor Steve Murphy is threatening to “take a hard look” at BFD expenses in the wake of the Memorial Day (Taxpayer) Massacre.

(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: boston; economy; employee; firedepartment; government; labor; liberal; massachusetts; sex; unions

1 posted on 06/05/2008 5:22:21 AM PDT by suspects
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To: suspects

I worked for the DOS for a number of years and learned that if you got rid of 1/2 the low level employees and ALL of the managament positions the public would never notice the difference.


2 posted on 06/05/2008 5:32:33 AM PDT by Seruzawa (A skeleton walks into a bar and asks for a beer and a mop.)
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To: Seruzawa

Oops... that’s “DOD”, not “DOS”. Where’s that coffee?


3 posted on 06/05/2008 5:34:00 AM PDT by Seruzawa (A skeleton walks into a bar and asks for a beer and a mop.)
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To: suspects

And yet governments continue to whine there isn’t enough money and the sheeple are naive and selfish enough to vote the whiners in and keep them there.


4 posted on 06/05/2008 5:38:47 AM PDT by A_Former_Democrat
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