Now we know why Calgary is called Blue Sky City.

Because that’s the sort of pampered thinking that city hall brass are encouraged to engage in when it comes to spending your money.

That’s behind those recent disturbing headlines in which a potential 20 per cent tax hike for Calgary ratepayers was leaked to the media after a closed-door meeting of council.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas quickly pointed out this was simply initial musings by various civic department heads, and that whatever the final number turns out to be, it will be way lower than a mind-numbing 20 per cent hike.

“The number is what you get when you take every department request, every proposed program, every spending increase, every want and every wish, every downloaded responsibility from the provincial government, and add them all together,” is how he tried to reassure panicked Calgarians.

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Except there’s a problem. It’s called anchoring.

If you ever visit those famous Moroccan bazaars of Tangiers, you’ll get an eye-opening introduction........

© Calgary Herald