Wilm and NHC Weight Loss Spectacle: Taxpayer Expense

Most readers are probably aware that leaders in both the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County have engaged in an pointless effort to boost their already over-inflated egos - a local contest framed after NBC's "The Biggest Loser" between Mayor Bill Saffo and Chairman Jason Thompson. (Please Visit: http://wilmingtonrants.ning.com/forum/topics/government-finally-trimming) Politicians losing weight has now become an official function of government, as evident by the costs incurred as a result of this exercise. Some say this is a vicious slap in the face after taxes have been raised across the board in both the city and the county this year - on a citizenry struggling to make ends meet in these currently poor economic conditions.

Cutting the Fat Out of Government Web Site - Invoice

That's right - taxpayers have footed the bill for a county-owned dedicated website to track and monitor this nonsense. www.CutTheFatNHC.com was purchased by the County from GoDaddy.com for $22.13. It's not the monetary amount that is the cause for concern. At the heart of this issue is the question of 'what is the proper role of government?' Should government be able to launch and fund entertainment enterprises at its own arbitrary will with the taxpayer's resources and money? Conducting this little initiative costs us more than the 22 bucks because a team in the county's IT Department, on taxpayer-funded salaries had to design and execute the website; not to mention the other administrative and functional costs in other departments in both the city and the county to conduct this little game.

It would be best for politicians to lose weight in the privacy of their own lives - like the rest of us. To make this a spectacle by calling it an official function of government is a disgrace and a bitter insult to struggling taxpayers. How much better it would be if cutting the fat out of government for REAL - i.e. saving the taxpayer's money - was an official function of government, as it used to be.