All I’m trying to say is that Stubborn Nutter could have trimmed the fat elsewhere. I did hear all sides of the library argument, so don’t condescend me back like I’m some one-sided ignorant idealist. I really do care very deeply about my city and my opinions don’t just drop at a moment’s notice. Was there an argument there on the pro-library side? Of course. But the whole thing just looked like a PR nightmare – especially when the main branch is spending tens of millions to spruce up. I have my opinion, you have yours.

(go to “Budget worksheet”, all the way at the bottom; it’s a PDF)

For a second there you made me regret saying “bonehead” but then I read your little smug response about the rational reasons for the proposed closures. I’m not going to waste my time on someone who is going to be so arbitrary. Instead you should’ve listened to Mark-Allan Hughes and Andrew Altman give public (you know…in front of the public)speeches for the reasoning behind it.

C., I agree about City Hall but how about I up the ante and say they consolidate space in City Hall and put additional office space up for the private sector.

Oh yeah and I’ve got a good 3 years over Larry.

C the Impaler, great points, for sure. And this is the kind of stuff that everyday Philly residents clamored for at the city budget workshops to not be cut. Sure, our taxes are high. I grimace everytime I look at my earnings vs. what I actually get on pay day. But in the end, as cheesy as it sounds, I love Philly, and don’t want my city to fall even more into ruin. I think it’s pretty awesome when residents feel so strongly about their neighborhoods that they too would sacrifice a few dollars more for the good of the city.

But what Nutter SHOULD do is demand back taxes owed to the city, put the tax abatement program on hold until we clear the recession, and send an invoice to those scumbag Eagles.

Notice how these fires are generally in poor neighborhoods? Oh, but hey, “we” “saved the libraries.” Guess they’re fireproof or something.

If you live or work in the city, you really ought to support a taxation plan that’ll allow the city to pay for itself.

Patricio, how much does “city hall” as is cost in the city budget? I really don’t know, and am curious what parts of city hall would be on the chopping block in the Patricio administration. You’re older than Larry West, right?

Chicago is the highest taxed city in the nation, I believe. Their sales tax alone is 10.2%.

And where am I getting the fact that most citizens would rather see their taxes increased? look at the results of the four city budget workshops on WHYY’s It’s Our City blog: http://whyy.org/blogs/itsourcity/.

Uh what? We are already the highest taxed city in the country. The Dude needs to streamline city hall, not raise taxes. So many boneheads freaked out over the potential library closings but could not listen to the Dude and his administrations very rational reasons behind the (closings).

Now we pay for it.