““What Do You Think? Over the last few years, many cities across the country have cancelled their annual Fourth of July fireworks to save money. Mayor Bill Cervenik, of Euclid, Ohio, said, “It came down to this: Did we want to spend $150,000 on something that would be over in a few hours? Or did we want to use that money to keep city workers employed?” In the Los Angeles suburb of Montebello, the City Council voted to use its $39,000 fireworks budget on donations to local food banks. Mayor Rosemarie Vasquez explained, “We figured that, instead of burning the money in the air, why not give it to people who need it?” (Huffstutter 2009). Protestors against the cancellation of fireworks shows argued that they are an important American tradition. If you were on the City Council, and the issue of whether or not to cancel the Fourth of July fireworks was being considered, what would your vote be?””
