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I forget the journalist who first espoused when governments are forced to cut back, firefighters are the first to go. The idea being you cut essential services first rather than last so voters will welcome things like increased taxes to avoid the pain. Mayor Michael Nutter’s announced cuts not only follow the axiom, he threw in the closing of libraries and swimming pools for good measure.
Maybe that is unfair to Nutter. The economy is a national mess. Nutter didn’t take out a mortgage he couldn’t pay or build cars no one wants to buy. But if that spokesperson for the libraries is correct, Philadelphia is the only city, in order to save itself, that decided it must close libraries. (I haven’t seen anything from a spokesperson for public swimming pools, so I’m not sure if other municipalities also have figured it is better to close pools than go bankrupt.)
In a very short amount of time, Nutter has gone from the penthouse of local politics to the outhouse. When delivering bad news, people usually decide the best course of action is to kill the messenger. (Are you paying attention, Barack Obama?) Be that as it may, it is a terrible idea to close libraries and pools. We all understand when a city makes cuts, they are rarely, if ever, restored.
Perhaps the draconian nature of the cuts is necessary, but the mayor did a poor job preparing us. He held his budget hearings behind closed doors, conveniently forgetting about his pledge — to quote the Fifth Dimension — to let the sun shine in. There seemingly was little or no effort to enlist the help of the private sector to keep the affected libraries and pools open. It’s not as if those of us in Philadelphia are used to getting much bang for our buck when it comes to city services. We have gotten used to not expecting much. We want our police and firefighters to keep us safe, our schools to stop being war-torn battlegrounds, our trash picked up on a reasonably regular basis (unless there’s a holiday or snowstorm), and for our libraries and pools to provide a modicum of culture and comfort. Otherwise, we pretty much want local government to keep the stealing of public funds to a minimum and to stay out of our way. The list is not especially long or imposing, but apparently it has become — to quote "The Man of La Mancha" — the impossible dream.
Keeping swimming pools closed during the long, hot summer will be a recipe for juvenile disaster in many neighborhoods, already suffering from fidgety kids with nothing to do. When they inevitably get into trouble, it will cost taxpayers money in terms of destroyed property and other crime. So, I don’t know who is doing the cost-benefit analysis for the mayor, but the cuts aren’t cost-free.
The libraries are the latest surrender in our rapidly expanding cultural wasteland. The closing list includes many in the inner city, the last quiet refuge from the chaos that envelops the lives of many citizens. It is particularly distressing for me the Fumo branch on South Broad Street will be closed permanently. As those of us who like to read already know, it is not as if there are an abundance of bookstores in South Philadelphia. (Let me know the next time you find one.) But there is another, more personal reason why it saddens me to see the Fumo branch go: There is a plaque there honoring the late Marion Fortino for her support and dedication. Marion loved books. Like many of us, she couldn’t imagine life without the local library. That is exactly what we now contemplate.
I guess it sounds like whining. People are losing their jobs and their 401(k) funds are quickly disappearing and this columnist is complaining about the closing of some libraries and public swimming pools. The mayor is beside himself trying to keep the City from sinking in a sea of red ink. Yet the pain hardly seems equitably distributed. The CEOs still get their golden parachutes that guarantee a soft landing. The banks get bailed out, maybe the auto companies, too. But the older person seeking the solitude of their local library will be fortunate to manage the extra walk to the nearest open one. The kid who wants to beat the heat and boredom of a hot summer’s day will find the nearest pool dry and deserted.
All around us are signs of a government that has failed its people. Marion Fortino would have been very disappointed.
