Bankrupt Phoenix Spends Taxpayer Money It Doesn’t Have to Build a Skate Park that Excludes Bikes

From the we don’t have the money and the debt isn’t ours so we can spend other people’s money go deeper into debt department.  “A new urban skate park has been approved for Margaret T. Hance Park near downtown Phoenix but it won’t allow bike riders.”  I’ll give the city fathers the benefit of the doubt and assume that the city powers believe that a very large percentage of the city’s residents of all ages will be bringing their boards and in-lines to the park to hang with their homies and praise the wisdom of the city’s leaders – Not!  Notice that the story does not mention how much money the city will pay.

What I fear is that a city that spends money like there is no tomorrow and without regard to whether it has the money will create the ultimate money pit – light rail.  Oh yeah.  I forgot.  Phoenix already did that.

Great News – Broke Phoenix to Stimulate Local Economy by Building Its 5th Skate Board Park While Cutting Public Services

I can hear Phoenix city leaders saying “Deficit?  What deficit?”  Arizona Republic:  “Skateboarders will have a fifth plaza to roll up and down ramps in Phoenix, city officials said Tuesday.”  The story does not mention how much the park will cost.  Perhaps the city leaders consider skateboard parks as just another form of the much loved mass transportation money pit.

Phoenix Spends $500,00+ Per Year to Protect Mayor Phil Gordon

According to the Arizona Republic, the City of Phoenix spends $500,000 a year for police bodyguards for Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.  Why?  Granted he may need some police protection for the short term in light of death threats made recently because of Mayor Gordon’s statements about Arizona’s illegal immigration law, but why would the city need to spend that kind of money during 24/7/365?  The $500,000 a year is before the recent death threats.

How many other Phoenix officials get police bodyguards and how much does it cost?  How much do other cities spend on bodyguards for their mayors?  How much does the State of Arizona pay to protect Governor Jan Brewer and other state officials?  During a time when Phoenix has a $244 million budget deficit and is cutting spending while raising taxes, $500,000 a year to tail Mayor Phil seems outrageous.

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