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This is just another of the many reasons people are no longer willing to shell out their hard earned dollars to support antiquated and unfair fiscal policies.

What an unbelievable story! Is this guy still on the force?

How many more examples do the sheeple need in this state before they smarten up and start voting these morons out of office who continue to support these kind of policies?

Wake up!

Or if you choose you can focus on your front page series this week that discussed the heroism of the police and firefighters who crawled out on thin ice to save two children who most certainly would have died if not for their efforts.

But we get it! Cherry pick a story. Then generalize it to all public safety personell in. The smear campaign continues. Are their any independent thinkers on your staff?

Scott, I think you need to turn inward and understand the guts of what these papers write rather than just talk the standard union line. The state, town and cities managements are at fault, but so are the unions. We know we can't get the politicians to admit they screwed up but you as a union member can say "gee, we've had it great, but things need to change."
Personally, we can't all work for the governments and if governments continue to grow, there won't be a any alternative. We won't have to worry about the giant sucking sound of jobs going to Canada and Mexico, because all our time will be spent regulating each other and another name for that is fascism.

Jim,

If you would please offer me some suggestions. What is it that you think needs to change? Please try to be fair as you understand that union members are supporting households too.

You gotta love the anti-tax jihadists.
They are using the reprehensible actions, or inactions, of a bad cop as an example of why people are opposed to any increases in property taxes
Mr. Benton even suggested this rogue cop is also an example of why so many people would abolish the income tax if they could.
Come on.
It's all propaganda on the part of the anti-tax jihadists who love to follow the anti-tax cult leader Barbara Anderson right over the cliff of communal and civic destruction.
It is because of selfish people like the anti-tax jihadists that the town of Saugus had to scrap its entire after school sports program.
It's because of the selfish anti-tax jihadists that the city of Gloucester is forced to choose between paying a bad cop in the name of "public safety" and funding music and art programs in the schools
But what realy galls me about many of the anti-tax jihadists is their hypocrisy.
Currently in Newburyport and Newbuy,some residents of those towns who live on Plum Island have formed a group that is asking both communities to provide $1500 a month in taxpayer dollars to procure the services of a Wahington DC firm to lobby Congress to help them protect their properties from beach erosion.
Now, I know at least two people involved with that group who were vociferous in their opposition to any efforts to allow for an override to provide increased funding for the schools and other municipal services.
Yet, they have no problem asking for tax dollars to pay a DC lobbying group to advocate on their behalf before Congress.
I mean, can we talk hypocrisy here?
I don't mind paying taxes to fund the schools and other important community services.
But I take great umbrage at having some nouveau riche, bourgious bohemian, anti-tax jihadist, who's stupid enough to build an architecturally bankrupt trophy house on a tiny lot, on a barrier island that, when a storm like Katrina hits, is going to all but disappear, expect my tax dollars to bail him out of his own stupid decision making.
But that's often the true nature of the anti-tax jihadist beast, they personify what my late brother used to call "I've got mine, so to hell with everybody else."

The problem here isn't that public employees have a strong union to represent them. The real problem is that most of us in the private sector do not.

I live in Lawrence and enjoy the lowest tax burden in the Merrimack valley. I have not, and will not, complain about a tax increase as long as its justified.

Taxes with or without representation will always be . We are in a problem for sure but we have to have some taxes in order to function as a government of and by the people.... Our representatives seem to have forgotten that they are in office by the voters that put them there ,not the lobbyist or other interests. As a former police officer I have to admit there is some room for less cost of hireing them for road jobs. Unionism is or was a good thing but it does have to relent in some of its demands to and for the overall good for those they represenet and those they do not. I am not against unions and want to make that clear even though I feel I could have been represented better as a member as a police member. Over all of what we face today I think its about time we all pull our belts in a little tighter , don't you even if it is coming out of your wallets?

As we now sit and Think about what just happened in Gloucester,we all have to feel uneasy about our public safety,An alarm is called in at 11:46 PM across the street from the main Firestation,13 Fireman (+ -) inside they then wait for a truck to respond that is returning from Rocky neck,(Could smoke be seen if we had walked outside the building) I understand that truck was there in 3 minutes-but would if it had been in 1 minute maybe would wouldn't feel so uneasy ,I am beside myself and hearkbroken that a building that all in the Firedepartment Thought or knew was a tinderbox did not raise any alarms in there minds was responded to in such a lax manner, Two building -apartment that housed working people and a temple where people worshipped both across the street from the main firestation burned to the ground ,and a wonderful man who lived on the Third floor died in the Flames . The city leaders should form a panel of citizens and begin a formal inquest into the happenings of the evening .

Scott, Are you the same Scott I've been conversing with on an earlier Nelson Benton Blog?
OK, you asked for some suggestions and is it regarding the conduct of unions in negotiating that you are looking for the suggestions?
If so, the most important one i can make is for the unions to stop believing that once there has been a negotiation on a subject that from that point on it is set in stone and can never be renegotiated unless its onward and upward. The best negotiation is one in which both parties feel they've won (real or not)
Earlier on this blog, I said the state cities and towns are at fault (probably more than the unions) because they have been a weak kneed bunch who apparently felt that labor peace was more important than fairness to the taxpayers. The only way I know to solve that problem is to vote the incumbents out. We can't do much worse with all new people.
Term limits of one but certainly no more than two terms should clean the house after 2 or 3 election cycles.
We (collective we,) have to do something to stop this stupidity. Taxpayers feel as though they're being squeezed to death financially and public employees (not politicians) feel they're being blamed for the blatent mismanagement of our cities, towns and state.

Jim,

Yes, I'm the same Scott.

It has not been my experience that once something is negotiated that it is not set in stone. In practice, every few years when contracts run their course both sides (management and labor) come to the table and bargain. During that process all items,old and new, are open for discussion. In most cases concessions made by both sides in order to setle a contract.

Jim,

I couldn't agree with you more that public employees feel like they are being blamed for mismanagement by towns and cities. The reason being, we are in fact being blamed, almost daily, by the editors and writers at the Eagle Tribune.

Austerity is the only solution, as our economy plunges ito recession and inflation worsens. But, there are no honest politicians who have the courage to tell their citizen-voters that there is no more money - from anywhere, including State and Federal government. Greedy municipal unions keep making absurd demands for more, while workers in the private sector - like auto workers, are willing to give concessions in order to save jobs.