A View Of Your Water Rate Increase? North Miami's New Elitest Image

I'm standing behind North Miami City Hall.The irony here is that right behind that row of shiny big black SUVs is the building that for many years housed the city's water department. Those shiny black SUVs belong to the mayor and members of the city council. Not visible is the oversized big shiny black pick-up truck that belongs to the city manager. I'll discuss the possible linkage between the recent huge water rate increase with the giant increase in the mayor and council's salary and benefits at another time and place.

What I want to talk about is the kind of example it sets to drive these gas eating monsters. Gas is about $4 a gallon, and still more for diesel. Drought and an overloaded and falling apart water system is the reason for the rate hikes. We're on a four-hours-one-day-a-week lawn watering restriction. The city fathers (and mothers) should be the ones to set an example on conservation, right?

And what's with black cars anyway? White is cooler, cheaper to air condition, burns less gas, saves big money. But what the hell, the tax payers are paying. Paying through the nose. Those overly generous expense accounts the mayor and council awarded themselves, along with the pension and lifetime health insurance. One thing's for sure, though. They sure do know how to reward fuzzy thinking, especially when it's their own greed and incompetence that's being rewarded. You don't suspect that the cars are being maintained, washed and waxed at the city motor pool, do you? Nah, nobody would ever have that much nerve, would they?