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EDITORIAL URGES RESCUE OF FLORIDA VETERANS DAY
PARADE -- "Here's a chance for the private
sector to
step up and do its duty on behalf of the
service
men and women who already have done theirs."
For background on the cancellation of the Lake
Worth, Florida Veterans Day parade, use the VA Watchdog search
engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/
sessearch.php?q=lake+w
orth+parade&op=and
Editorial here...
http://www.palmbeachpost
.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2
007/09/25/m8a_parade_edit_0925.html
Editorial below:
-------------------------
Rescue veterans parade
Palm Beach Post Editorial
The state-mandated budget cuts have forced cities to make some hard
choices about their spending, and one of the hardest was Lake Worth's
decision to cancel its Veterans Day parade.
City commissioners cut what would have been the 10th annual event from
the budget to save $20,000 and help close a $3.5 million deficit
projected for the next fiscal year. The city's cost-cutting goes well
beyond parades. Commissioners have decided to eliminate 44 employee
positions and lay off 22 people. Every city department will be asked to
do more, or at least as much, with less. Lake Worth's budget crisis is
anything but contrived.
The commission spared other downtown events because they had a greater
economic impact than the parade. The elimination of the 90-minute
veterans march, the largest in Palm Beach County, was especially painful
when so many South Florida families have relatives serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan. According to the Census Bureau, the state's 1.8 million
veterans rank second only to California's 2.3 million. About 439,000 of
Florida's vets are retirees who served in World War II - a population
that nationally is dying out at a rate of 1,000 each day.
Over the course of a decade, Lake Worth's parade had evolved into a
regional event with about 100 participating organizations that drew
veterans from several counties. It makes sense to solicit regional
support to keep the parade going. Several city commissioners suggested
appealing to corporate sponsors in Lake Worth and elsewhere for help
with the expenses. Downtown businesses have a stake in bringing
customers into the city. Other cities whose residents have participated
in the parade should contribute something, if only volunteers for
cleanup.
The American Legion is planning a Veterans Day rally at Bryant Park to
replace the parade. The $20,000 needed to bring it back is hardly an
insurmountable amount. While it's too late to save this year's parade,
it's not too early to begin the campaign to revive it for next year.
U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, says his office will assist the city
in lining up sponsors.
Here's a chance for the private sector to step up and do its duty on
behalf of the service men and women who already have done theirs.
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
