Now let's see, city government exists to provide services to its citizens. The politicians and employees of the city are broadly termed "civil servants." This civil government is in place to provide services that individuals alone cannot provide. These services include fire protection, public works, schools, safe streets, pedestrian safety, parks and recreation, parking, bikeways, transit services and a host of other services. If we can eliminate services that are not needed, we can eliminate the costs of the employees, the facilities and the equipment.

So, let's do some serious cost cutting and save some serious money for the city.

Hmm. Emergency services, fire and police are almost half the budget, but we can't eliminate them. How about public works? Nope. We need clean water and don't want sewers overflowing. Maybe lose the Planning Department. The city is pretty much planned out. How uncivilized you say? I've got it. Parking garages cost money to operate and selling them would give us lots of quick cash. No, wait a minute, they actually create a positive cash flow; keep the garages.

OK, here's the ticket, let's get rid of transit! "We don't need no stinking buses."

Many communities our size don't have buses. All we need is more parking for more cars, and parking garages make money, right?

Wow. We'll eliminate our yearly operating transit budget not to mention the money we'll get from selling the buses. We'll use the money saved for more revenue producing parking garages, right downtown.

How about that wasteful open space called City Dock with just surface parking. This is getting good. We could easily build a five- or six-level garage for close to a 1,000 cars. Think of the revenue from all of those tourists and visitors to our beautiful city and think of the view from the top level of the garage.

We'll have to widen streets and put up more traffic signals. No room left for bikeways or pedestrian stuff, but who needs them anyway? Hey Annapolis, I just fixed your budget problems!

Wait a minute; are there unintended consequences I might have missed? You say I'm ruining the reason visitors come to Annapolis and the reason we live here? You say mobility for all modes must be considered such as walking, bike access and people who do not drive or choose to walk and ride transit instead? Do you mean to tell me that visitors use transit and there are actually productive citizens who use buses to get to work and shop? You say bikes, pedestrians and transit complement each other?

"Aw, shucks!" We could get so many more cars traveling on our streets and parking in our residential neighborhoods if only we got rid of those "stinking buses." Where did you get that silly idea that cities are for people?

Urban mobility is an important service that Annapolis must provide and transit is a critically important component. How many other services provided by the city are subsidized from outside of the city tax stream to the tune of 50 percent? Wake up "civil servants" of Annapolis! Now where's my can of paint?