| The city of Colorado Springs has taken dramatic cost cutting measures after the community voted no to an increase in property taxes. The city is not only cutting jobs from police and fire departments, they are also selling their police helicopters on the internet. Other harsh cutbacks include closing rec centers, museums, swimming pools, turning off a third of the streetlights and practically abandoning city parks. The parks department has removed trashcans, replacing them with signs urging users to remove their own litter. Neighbors are also encouraged to bring their own lawn mowers, not that that will do any good because the lawns will not be watered anyway.
Colorado Springs has a reputation as a bastion of conservative viewpoints. It is home to several military bases, (Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base, Fort Carson, Norad). Many churches and religious groups are headquartered there, including the famous Focus on the Family.
Are the economic troubles of this community a harbinger of where conservative anti tax politics will take our entire nation, or merely an isolated community problem? Could this be viewed as a success in the struggle against socialism, or do conservatives appreciate having parks, community centers and streetlights provided by their government?
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