Grand Rapids (MI) has been hit hard once again.  The city has decided to layoff 44 policeman, 25 firefighters, and dozens of other public sector jobs.

That’s scary.

2 complete fire companies will be nixxed.  Response times will go up.  Citizens and firefighters will be less safe and more prone to injury and worse.

It’s a broken record; a scene played out daily across the United States.

In Milwaukee last month, hundreds of firefighters jammed the city council budget meeting openly denouncing the effort to cut public safety funding.

One firefighter asked the council “how much are you willing to pay to have me pull you out of your burning home?”

When these scenes arise, they make for good TV, and the Milwaukee media covered them like a blanket.

These protests are seen all over the nation, with firefighters demanding politicians to admit that the level of public safety will be reduced due to the cuts.

Usually, the pols insist the city can do just fine, hissing “we will get through this, (insert city name here) will emerge stronger and better than ever!”  We all know it’s a “less than truthful” response.

With less people serving the public safety, the level of service declines.  You just can’t argue that.  But they do.

However, we seem to have turned a corner today with the announcement of the massive slice ‘n dice scheduled for Grand Rapids just after Christmas.

City Manager Greg Sundstrom  conceded the cuts “bring our staffing levels to dangerously low levels.”

“Dangerously low levels.”

Finally, a public official making a concession that firefighters across the nation have been trying to get them to admit.

“Dangerously low levels.”

OK then.  There.

Now what?

Now that we’ve reached the point where we can all agree that cutting public safety is “dangerous’”, will the local taxpayer have accepted such practice as a necessary evil?

Because “dangerously low levels” is evil.

And in my opinion, utterly unacceptable.

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