Double Billing

02/18/2010 Human Observations
Every American who receives a salary or wages from tax dollars is employed to work at a specific task. The Fire Dept. puts out fires, the Police Dept. executes the law, and the Educational System teaches. However, because of gross mismanagement of revenues, some City Councils are authorizing their City Fire Depts. to charge fees to provide the very services that they are paid tax dollars to perform! A private business is charged with a crime for “Double Billing”. A governmental organization and its subsidiaries should be held to the same standard. Needless to say, a “volunteer” Fire Dept. is manned by just that: volunteers. To bill for their services contradicts the title. If they are paid, they are not volunteering. And if their services are covered by the tax dollars of the city, then the City Council should be held accountable for this oversight concerning allocations for public health and public safety; because that's why THEY are being paid tax dollars. If folks are being paid to do a job, and their job performance is insufficient to accomplish the job description, then their employment should be terminated. In the case of Public Service where that insufficiency results in death, or jeopardizes public health or safety, criminal charges must be considered. As long as people continue to be paid tax dollars for service, those services must be provided without additional cost to the public. If a city Council can’t figure out how to provide emergency services by utilizing tax dollars, then that group of council members should be replaced by others who are able to do the job.