Log in Subscribe

A few of our stories and columns are now in front of the paywall. We at The Chief-Leader remain committed to independent reporting on labor and civil service. It's been our mission since 1897. You can have a hand in ensuring that our reporting remains relevant in the decades to come. Consider supporting The Chief, which you can do for as little as $3.20 a month.

A question of morality

Posted

To the editor:

The March 24 edition of The Chief contained a variety of articles that showed how New York City government was failing to meet the needs of its residents: a shortage of firefighters and dispatchers, lack of mental-health services, the gender pay gap and declining number of school safety agents. 

Previous editions have contained articles exposing city services that lack adequate resources and personnel to perform their functions.

Yet our mayor seems to think that a lack of religious faith is the principal problem facing the city. His budget will only worsen the many problems described in your articles. Budgets are moral documents that express the priorities of a society. Our federal government spent $778 billion in 2020 on equipment, planning, and training designed to kill our fellow human beings and destroy infrastructure, i.e. the “defense” budget. 

Both major political parties acted with amazing alacrity to provide weaponry and training to fuel the war in Ukraine and enrich arms manufacturers,

A small fraction of this spending would alleviate the lack of services faced by many NYC residents and indeed people all over the U.S. What does this say about the morality of our nation?

Blair F. Bertaccini

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here