Tempe's Private Little Fiscal Cliff

Posted: 2014-07-28

Tempe, A.K.A. The Coyote, And The Fiscal Cliff

Michael Gibbs 7-27-14 

I can't think of the right adjective to use. Discouraged? Shocked? Appalled? Dismayed? Incredulous? That's how this week's Tempe City Council candidate forum left me feeling.

At one point candidate Matt Papke responded to a question by expressing concern about the city's finances. Several current members of the council dismissed the issue by telling the audience that, by law, the budget has to be balanced. The attitude went beyond nonchalant--they implied that the city's debt is a GOOD thing.

When Papke showed that in the last ten years alone Tempe's debt has increased three-fold to nearly three quarters of a billion dollars his opponents made fun of him and one even asked if he had a mortgage on his house. Another stated flatly that you cannot run a city without incurring debt.

It's this kind of thinking that has driven the entire nation to a $17 trillion dollar deficit, the only difference being that Tempe doesn't have a printing press in the basement to make more dollars! No wonder Tempe is digging an ever deeper hole despite having the highest property taxes in the valley--it's run by a bunch of profligates with no regard for their fiscal responsibilities. The spendthrifts in Detroit must be very proud to have Tempe following in their footsteps.

Michael Gibbs
Phoenix. AZ

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