Chicago City Workers-Chicago City Heroes
During this brutal freeze, many of Chicago's citizens had no water. Still many people have no water due to rich landlords that forget to make sure their tenants have working plumbing. Some landlords have no heat in the basement and than the pipes froze. While taking a break from thawing frozen pipes in a medical center, three Chicago employees took the time to help a man get his wheelchair over the curb. Than Archie High shoveled the walk so the man could attend to his personal business at the Doctor's office. All three Chicago City Workers are heroes and an example of what Chicago will miss when services are privatized. Photo by Patrick McDonough.
Comments
While it is certainly commendable for anyone to act in such a way as to exhibit the most basic common decencies, apparently said basic common decency is less and less common.
And while it is, to some, quite surprising to discover that those commonly held in contempt, the lowly 'city worker', would take time from their hectic work schedule to assist a fellow human being in need, it is, believe it or not, not as rare an occurrence as one might expect it to be.
Granted, most citizens of our great city/county have memories of many less helpful encounters with said 'city workers', but, as is universally the case, there are exceptions to every rule, however few and far between one experiences them.
Though I certainly do not want to diminish the work of these Good Samaritans, it is a sad commentary on our present social attitudes that we find an act of simple, basic decency to rise to the level of being 'heroic'.
If anything, city workers, being 'public servants', (ie. servants OF the public), should naturally be expected to be helpful AT ALL TIMES, whenever a member of the public requires and/or requests assistance.
Again, not to diminish the exemplary acts of these fine city workers, they are unfortunately, the exception to the rule.
IF one could receive an honest answer from any city worker, one would certainly like to ask him/her these questions:
1) What percentage of your fellow city workers do an honest days' work for their generous days' pay?
2) What percentage of your fellow city workers feel that they do their own jobs and a good portion of someone else's?
(ie. clouted in 'fellow workers')
3) What percentage of city workers are compelled to participate in political activities? On their own free time? Or else they'll be looking for work in the private sector?
4) What percentage of your fellow workers are required to contribute, (kick-back), a portion of their taxpayer financed earnings to support the above mentioned political activities?
5) What percentage of your fellow city workers seem to be immune to being held accountable for being much less 'servants of the public' and much more 'servants of those they owe their jobs to'?
6) What percentage of your fellow city workers do you find believe that they cannot be fired for any reason, other than pissing off their 'clout'?
and, finally,
7) What percentage of your fellow city workers do you believe truly, honestly and sincerely appreciate their good fortune at being 'public servants'?
Now, the challenge is to find even ONE city worker who will answer these questions honestly.
I hope I will be forgiven for NOT holding my breath waiting for even one to appear.
Lastly, the above is intended to, IN NO WAY, diminish the helpful actions undertaken by these exceptional human beings, who happen to work for the
'city that works'.
Posted by: appreciative, but discouraged | March 13, 2007 10:03 PM
99% city workers including senatorm\, congess, and all else r "NO GOOD, DO NOTHING LAZY A$$ES.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 11, 2010 4:22 PM