Troy King may have a new friend in Larry Langford.

While I can agree that it was necessary to shut down an adult business in Birmingham because it was a breeding ground for criminal activity, was it really necessary to bring in the SWAT team to serve the owner with papers stating that the business license had been revoked?

It just makes me think of how much King could appreciate a move like that.  Perhaps he’ll send the U.S. Air Force, complete with fighter jets, to close down some of those evil establishments that sell sex toys.  Because, you know, Langford is a Democrat, after all, and King is competitive like that.

A judge in Jefferson County has created a program where non-violent criminals pick up trash as opposed to doing jail time.

What an excellent way to help the community and save taxpayers money!

LaLa has a plan to save Birmingham millions of dollars.  He wants to cut 450 city jobs.  Supposedly, this will save the city over $60 million per year.  If you’re getting out your calculator, that’s over $133k/person.  Trust me when I say that city employees do not typically make that much– even with benefits included.  Langford’s numbers seem to come from thin air once again, as they do in his tax increase proposal.  He also doesn’t seem to take into account whether or not the positions filled are crucial for day-to-day operation.  (There are some consulting positions that could easily be lost, but I doubt that there are 450 of them.)

Merry Christmas, Birmingham employees!  Have some Langford math!

Meanwhile, I have a good idea that will save Birmingham over $150k for only ONE person…  Tell Langford to quit pimping out his office.  That includes the brand new 50-inch flat screen that was just delivered, hardwood floors, customized wall coverings, customized ventilation system (which will be about $60k by itself), and new patio that leads out from his office.  I’m guessing that new furniture is also included in the deal, and taxpayers are footing the bill the entire way.  Then there’s his entourage, Secret Service caricatures– guarding his Escalade while he picks up a hot dog.  I’m willing to bet that their salaries will soon be pulled from city funds if they aren’t already.

Now, there are 52 weeks in a year…  I’m taking into account a 3-year employee who has started at a relatively low position– the jobs most likely to be targeted first by layoffs.  On average, they’ll make about $50k/year in salary before taxes. We’ll double that to $100k for benefits, though I doubt they cost as much in benefits.  But hey!  It’s better to overestimate here.

I’m estimating that Langford has cost the city roughly $200k in just one week, so if he can just quit spending money on useless crap, then I figure we can save close to 104 REAL jobs for city workers in that area alone.

I like my math better.