Detroit Council proposing drastic cuts to various city services

[Dexlin]

I'm as much fo symbolic shared sacrifice as the next guy, but when the rubber hits the road, arguing over council pay and benefits is a sideshow. Period. It's not even close to where the money is. Council's entire budget is literally 1% of the entire general fund, and many times less than that when the entire city budget is factored in. This laser fixation of the councils' pay and benefits is kind of the last refuge of someone without a real argument. It's a massive, rotting red herring.

Does council's office need reform? Probably. It's also something that probably needed to be taken up through the charter. That was the time for that argument. Right now, in the middle of this crisis, arguing over council is an inane parlor discussion, something with almost zero practical benefit and relevance to avoiding a Category 5 fiscal hurricane.

I know it's a very American thing to do and bitch about the pay and benefits of [[insert legislative body), and it makes us feel righteous, and it may very well be a real concern, but it's a lot like bitching about your significant other not fixing your refrigerator while the house is on fire. It serves no practical, relevant purpose in the middle of a crisis.