Denver continues to struggle with the influx of illegal aliens that the Biden administration and its supporters have "welcomed" into the country. One need look no further than the pages of PJ Media to see the effects that unchecked illegal immigration has had on the country. But one certainly can look, and the evidence continues to mount on a daily basis.
When a sanctuary city throws open its doors to whoever can make it across the border, it must find a way to house and feed everyone who comes knocking. National Review reports that Denver mayor Mike Johnston continues to blame Republicans for not signing off on the Senate's immigration bill, which would have allocated money to his city to ameliorate the immigration crush. While some members of the GOP may be complicit in the immigration problem, it has primarily been those on the Left who advocated for open borders and declared their towns to be sanctuary cities, seemingly secure in the belief that they would never be called upon to offer sanctuary. Chicago and New York have learned a hard lesson, and now it is Denver's turn to be taken to school.
The cash crunch in the Mile-High City, brought on by the influx of illegal immigrants, is starting to take a toll. Denver is considering reducing the hours of some hourly on-call city employees to zero in the Parks and Recreation Department to help cope with budget cuts. Those cuts are necessary because of the costs associated with managing a burgeoning population of illegal immigrants. According to 9 News, the city is dancing around the word "layoff," and Johnston said that nothing has been finalized. However, anyone affected by the cuts will have the option of applying for unemployment. The Parks and Recreation cuts could save $4.3 million, and Johnston has touted the need for all departments and agencies to find a way to "prioritize."
The station reported that when Johnston announced the first round of cuts, which were aimed at the Parks Department and the DMV and were expected to save $5 million, he said that some hourly employees would lose work. 9 News stated that the issue may be more dire than Johnston predicted.
All of this might have been avoided had Denver not decided to throw open its doors in defiance of safety, fiscal sanity, and common sense. In this case, one of the effects of that decision is a $180 million budgetary shortfall brought on by the influx of illegals. In a Monday announcement, Johnston said the city also plans to slash services previously offered to newly arrived migrants.
Related: MSM Twists Itself Into Pretzels Over Illegal Immigrant Murder Case
Some may note that a city's parks and recreation department does not provide essential services. In one town where I lived, some business owners groused that a proposed recreation center would take money away from the private sector. We lived in a city in Texas where practically any stretch of grass that was not on private property was dubbed a "park" and given a sign. Such spaces might have consisted of nothing but a bench or a dilapidated basketball hoop, or just enough equipment to make it a playground only by the loosest of standards. In some cases, there was nothing but grass. But in many instances, a city's parks and recreation department provides spaces for league or individual sports, community gatherings, and alternatives to expensive pools or gyms.
And such departments also provide jobs, which may be on the line in Denver. Aside from a loss of amenities, Denver is a portrait of a city that cried "Full speed ahead!" when it came to embracing Leftist policies. This may be due to a thorough dedication to "the cause," coupled with a desire to do something that conservatives oppose in principle. Having been a Leftist in a previous life, I know that there is a prevailing mentality that whenever one comes to a fork in the road, one should always take the path that leads to the left. Even if it leads off a cliff. The consequences can always be dealt with later, and if they are sufficiently negative, the conservatives can always be blamed. And someone, somewhere, can be tapped to pay for it. That someone is either the federal government or the local citizens. In this case, people who had jobs may now be forced to the unemployment line.
This is more than good intentions gone awry or a starry-eyed, if completely naive, view of the world. It is reckless virtue signaling of the highest degree. This situation is the result of a desire to upend a system with no viable plan in place and the belief that things will somehow "work out." And if they don't, the average citizen can always be called upon to sacrifice for the greater good.
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