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Poor excuse for picking folks' pockets

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By TOM JACKSON Tom Jackson

tjackson@tampatrib.com tjackson@tampatrib.com

Published: May 3, 2009

It is well-known that the item persistently topping Sheriff Bob White's agency wish list is a slew of additional deputies. This Space maintains a deep and abiding respect for that point of view. It sympathizes with White's vigorous attempts to persuade the county administrator and the elected board of socket wrenches who dutifully apply his metrics to end the practice of shortchanging law enforcement in Pasco.

The county's population is substantial, and is spread over a vast geographic jurisdiction. To appreciate those two factors is to approach an understanding of the difficulties connected to providing adequate law enforcement, as required by constitutional mandate.

Add our tendency to misbehave toward each other in ways large and otherwise, and it becomes apparent how White's troops can be in perpetual motion from roll call to dismissal. White even has the independent studies to confirm his contention that Pasco is not exactly awash in deputies cooling their heels, no matter what your neighbors say about seeing patrol cars idling for hours in the shade of live oaks.

Those anticipating a "however" moment need wait no longer: However, the sheriff's eagerness to seek federal "stimulus" funds as a remedy is at best cynical, and at worst downright alarming.

Over a barrel

Let's deal with the cynicism first. The national stimulus slush fund contains $1 billion for law enforcement. White wants to nick $11 million of that to hire five dozen new deputies - those he would have hired, and those he'd be projected to hire, if not for past and anticipated budget shortfalls.

With "everybody and his brother" going after Washington's dollars, White concedes that he has no way of knowing how much might come his way. But he's politician enough to understand that however many new badges he can pay for with one-time Obama dollars, once they're on the payroll, county commissioners will be beyond reluctant not to maintain their status.

Using an extraordinary end-run and calling it a public benefit, White will have force-fed the administration and the board an arrangement they otherwise never would have approved. And that is almost a textbook definition of cynicism.

Moochers' picnic

And that brings us to the alarming portion of our program. As noted above, White acknowledges there will be no shortage of applicants for these new federal funds.

It's not just that we're making citizens of, for example, the Great Plains who couldn't find Pasco County with a map, a flashlight and a GPS system pay for deputies locals are too cheap to pay for themselves. As a foothill portion of a whole mountain range of borrowed money, we're obligating the children and grandchildren of Great Plains citizens to a debt on our behalf.

White is right, of course. Everybody, even many who said they wouldn't, have plunged their snouts into the federal trough. That's not much of an argument. An abundance of moochers does not make the mooching any nobler.

Tom Jackson can be reached at (813) 259-7068. Keyword: The Jax Files, for bonus Jackson musings.

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