Local politicians never decline free money.
There is some sitting on the table and they are acting fast.
Tuesday night the City Council introduced a new bill that would spend $470,000 on another one of the endless “programs” that are supposed to reduce crime.
Meanwhile, crime increases.
But it was “free” money, trickling down from the state government.
Under liberal economics, money trickles down from the federal government to state and local governments and from state to local governments. No one ever is concerned about where it comes from and politicians never refuse to spend the cash.
This money has to be spent by June 30 or it will be “lost.” That is, it will revert to the state, which plans to spend $101.5 billion of Other People’s Money next year.
The money is from the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement and the bill would direct it to the Cure Violence program that claims to reduce gun violence and “change community norms.”
The program currently runs out of two locations and the bill would open a third, in the Potter’s House Christian Fellowship on the Westside. The other two are in the Eastside and Moncrief Park.
Possibly the money will do some good. But among the red flags are the fact that the bill requires waiving a number of city ordinances designed to prevent fraud and theft.
Eye was unable to question anyone in the administration about the measure because it has been banned by City Haul and is no longer provided with information by Mayor Lenny Curry’s Chief Information Gatekeeper.
