These are indeed troubling times — across the globe and even here in Natchez. The City of Natchez seems to be in a rotten state at the moment, at least financially.

Months after paving roads with money we didn’t yet have, the city has been forced to borrow money against taxes it hasn’t yet collected just to meet payroll.

Now, with most of the “payday loan” money spent and sales tax numbers dipping the city considers job cuts as a possible next step.

It might be easy to just pin the problems on the person watching the money — in this case the city clerk’s office. But blaming the bookkeeper isn’t going to cut it.

This isn’t some Ponzi scheme gone awry; this is government spending on overdrive and with little to no accountability for the people signing the checks.

The current problems aren’t related to an accounting scandal or simple embezzlement.

Nope, the city’s problem is much more dark, much more ugly than a mere criminal endeavor.

Today’s problems were the result of years of apathy on the part of our elected officials. Money was transferred from one account to another without understanding the ramifications — both short and long term.

It’s what happens when elected officials start feeling comfortable and confident, but remain largely uneducated on their public roles.

So here we sit, a beautiful city that could be weathering the current financial storm, resting on a small rainy day fund that was built up over time.

Instead, we’re a city considering slashing the work force just to make ends meet because we’re broke.

The panicked cutting likely will help the city get by, but without changing city habits we’re doomed to repeat this ugly scenario again and again.