More Business as Usual

So the Boston City Council has voted themselves and the mayor a 16.6% pay raise. Nothing terribly shocking there. Personally, I'm surprised they went for such a paltry amount.

And, here's a real shocker:

Councilors passed the measure yesterday without first holding a public hearing on pay raises. The council's Government Operations Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing on the measure two weeks ago, but it was canceled. Councilors said yesterday that the meeting was not rescheduled because they were pressed for time.

There was no time! Who do they think they are, Jack Bauer?

Now, to give credit where credit is due, we have City Councilor Chuck Pornogate Turner proving the theory that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.

No pun intended.

"The public should have a right to comment and give their perspective," Turner told fellow councilors at the meeting. "Not having a hearing this year is another reason why passage of this ordinance would be inappropriate."

Big raises across the board for city employees, and it's George Bush's fault we can't hire more police officers. Welcome to Meningrad.