The Beacon Center's 12 days of pork, #6: Freezing out the taxpayers. Shelby County's freeze on new hires only lasts one month.

The Beacon Center - In a year when thousands of Tennesseans have lost their job and many more are scared of their economic situation, it’s comforting to know that at least one local government was willing to make sacrifices as well. Well, sort of. 

After the Shelby County Mayor’s Office put out a report highlighting the dire financial situation the county was in, county commissioners agreed to a freeze on new hires and promotions. Not actual cuts, but hey, at least it’s something? Except all it took was one month for county commissioners to go back on that plan, lifting the freeze. 

This is the problem with government finances. When times are tough, families have to dig deep and make tough decisions. But for governments, tough times are merely an inconvenience. Governments at all levels are able to kick the can down the road (like the federal government) or ask struggling taxpayers to bail them out (like Nashville). Our leaders need to remember that they are charged to be stewards of taxpayer money, not treat it like monopoly money. 

Solution: Shelby County should cut unessential services and enact a spending cap tied to economic growth to curb excessive government growth. 

 on the sixth day of Christmas, the government gave to me… more money for government employees

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