Petition Against Cuts

Mike from Solid Ground wrote:

With the Mayor coming to Wallingford for his walkaround this weekend, Solid Ground is hoping to make a clear statement that in these difficult economic times, people do not want to see the budget balanced on the backs of our least fortunate citizens.

We’ve launched a petition on Facebook and hope to get 1,000 signatures by the weekend. Can you post a story and this link?

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/petitions/134?m=544a5251&recruiter_id=57030032

We’re posting the link, because it seems mean not to, but we’re skeptical of petitions in general (do they really have an impact?) and because the text of the petition seems to dodge bits of reality:

We urge you to use all measures necessary, such as the Rainy Day Fund and cuts in other areas, to maintain funding for all human services and to consider emergency investments in areas of severe need.

We agree that cutting human services is short-sighted, since pulling money from education and social services ends up costing more in the long run (well-educated people with good life skills end up being more productive members of society, leading to a better tax base, lower crime rates, etc.), but unless we can be specific about what the “other areas” are that should be cut, it’s something of an empty plea. We can’t spend money we don’t have. We have less money. So what does get cut?

Sidewalk repair? Parades? Emergency Preparedness?

On a separate note, the what’s this about a “the Mayor coming to Wallingford for his walkaround this weekend”?