BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION, JUNE 3-5, 2016) — The Lovely Linda didn’t take long to out-bianchi Bianchi. In her budget proposal to our Right Honorable Good Friends on the city council, Mayor Linda Tyer called for $6 million in new spending, wants to raise your taxes 6% percent, and has submitted an all-time record capital budget plan.

So much for her campaign promises. Remember how she campaigned on fiscal realism, pledging she’d make the tough choices come budget time? Seems that her definition of “tough choices” differs greatly from the understandings of Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski.the “Little Guys” who are truly without representation. THE PLANET can only say we told you so … and told you so. If a twice-told tale issues four-fold in meaning, then you should not have been surprised that Tyer wants to add prohibitively to your already-crushing tax burden. If you live in Pittsfield or own a business there, you are about to find out what Tyer means by “tough choices.” If the council gives her what she wants, many of you will be without a home, lacking prescriptions medicines or wanting food — depending on what you will have to eliminate to stay alive.

THE PLANET hasn’t had time to look closely at Her Majesty’s budget, so we shall save detailed comment until next week. Allow us two observations, though, in light of that:

(1) This atrocious spending plan goes to the council, a paralyzed group that, you will recall, just voted 7-2 (Donna Todd Rivers, Melissa Mazzeo) to give five more years (and hundreds of thousands of dollars) of generous tax cuts to The Beacon Cinema and its multimillionaire owner. THE PLANET reiterates a key point made yesterday by Painter, one of this site’s commentators. In the post, Painter said: “If there are people on the council who are not in favor of the Mayor budget [and I hope there are], then don’t say a thing unless you are willing to fight for it. Don’t just put on a show.” THE PLANET agrees. Councilors, shut your trap unless you are serious about making substantial cuts to this spending fantasy.

(2) THE PLANET‘s brevity on the mayor’s uber-spending daydream is your opportunity to sound off, here and now. Tell them what you think of the plan. Tell them where the cuts are. Remind the mayor, for she has surely forgotten, how much this will negatively impact what’s left of the dying “middle” class in this dying town. You know and we know all The Suits read this site, if only to see if they’ve survived another day without getting taken hard into the boards. Let ’em have it.  Tell councilors what you want. Issue your demands. They are, after all, your “representatives.”

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Summer Jobs for the Asking

THE PLANET passes along this jobs opportunity for young people. Youth Works, a program of Berkshire Works, has signed up more than 20 Pittsfield employers who will offer summer jobs. Applicants must be 16-21 years old, offer proof of income level (in case you haven’t guessed, the program is for “under-resourced” city kids), have ID, produce a work permit, give proof of a physical, and present a letter of recommendation.

Those accepted for the program will work 25 hours a week and be paid $10 an hour. For more information, contact Kelly Groves at kgroves@berkshireworks.org. You can also call her at 413-499-2220 x145.

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Finally, THE PLANET thanks Terry Kinnas for sitting in as guest host on Thursday night’s PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION (PV-TV). Being under those McDonald’s french-fry lights in a TV studio for an hour of live television is not for the faint of heart, for sure. Allow a nod, therefore, to the Supercitizen.

The Comment Line is now open. Any and all topics are fair game, but THE PLANET especially would like your take on the FY’17 spending plan. Give us your intelligence and wit, not your ignorance and witlessness.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

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“It is a popular delusion that government wastes vast amounts of money through inefficiency and sloth. Enormous effort and elaborate planning are required to waste this much money.” — P.J. O’Roarke

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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