Posted on 10/09/2008 4:22:56 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Right there's the nut of it. Government thinks that expenses are X and that they're static. Therefore, taxes must be X to pay for them.
Those of us in the private sector don't have the luxury of seizing money from our customers at gunpoint. That would be called robbery. Government gets to do it and call it 'taxes.'
When revenues don't meet expenses, we must do what it takes to make it happen. People lose their jobs or work for less.
It has been my experience that 'most' government employee types haven't the foggiest concept of how wealth is created. To them, the money falls from the sky.
A hiring freeze! You’re lucky! At least you have been hiring! I feel like I’m in a Monty Python post.
We are VERY fortunate to have great City Administrator and Assistant. These two are the highest paid in the city, and are kicking butt and taking names. Our city has gotten grant after grant, to get improvements done for cheap or free, all due to one man. He pulled a coup in a deal where we got a FREE steel framed building, from a private business, and got it set upon a concrete pad, all in a year without a dollar spent. He’s paid his salary (some in town say exorbitant salary) multiple times a year since he’s been here. ONE dealing with the State Dept of Transportation saved us a quarter of a million dollars.
I hold this man in high regard, and his job in my hands.
And our static expenses are for services the city has voted for and expect. We provide a library which is a money hole that we're obligated to fund. We provide water, electric, sewer, trash pickup, street service, etc. All things the citizens want. And for "static" they sure did jump this year.
We're actually surveying the folks in our district to ask them if they'd prefer higher taxes or cuts in services. Our backs are against the wall. THey pay (me too) for what they want. If they want it bad enough they'll pay more. If they want to pay less, we're in a situation where we'll have to cut services.
You haven't got the memo.
Paulson says government could make a trillion dollars on this bailout.
Yeah, I think he's full of it, too.;)
Actually, he better be right. We're going to need that trillion by 2015 to bailout Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
$
Once again you make my point. Just where the hell did that grant money come from? The money tree? It came from taxpayers. But you get to use it to buy votes and not take the political heat for raising your citizen's taxes.
And that 'free' steel building was paid for by the risk and sweat of a private business. Government didn't create it from thin air.
You are kidding us, right?
Where do you think the "grant money" came from?
And listen, in tight times, you tighten your belt and you make sacrifices. If your guy is the saint you say he is, then he loves the town and will help it through this--on a lower salary.
If not, he'll bolt when you can't pay his price.
You'll soon see what kind of great guy he really is.
The Socialist Mayor of ‘The People’s Republik of Madistan’ (WI) had a sweet, sweet deal a number of years ago...a very wealthy patron of the arts offered our city the purchase of the new multi-million dollar ‘Arts Center’ that he funded and built for us, for $1.
No, no, no! Said the Mayor. You give us a Trust Fund and we’ll just keep that in the Stock Market and we’ll all be RICH and able to fund that ‘Arts Center’ (which costs HUNDREDS of THOUSAND of dollars a YEAR just to keep the doors open) and all will be well!
That ‘everyday expenses’ money was already evaporating prior to this little ‘crash’ by the market; now it’s effectively GONE!
Meanwhile, our streets go unplowed in the winter (we had 100” of snow last winter!), pot-holes are never filled in, we’re short on cops and firemen and none of our gazillion MANDATED “green spaces” get maintained or mowed because the City can’t afford it, so they’re weedy and full of bugs and raccoons and coyotes have moved in who are tipping over our trash cans and eating our small pets!
But they could afford THIS boondoggle? (But, but, it’s for the ARTS!)
How’s that Socialism workin’ for ya now, Mayor Dave? Aren’t you PROUD of your ‘Commrads’ in Washington who did this to you, Mr. Egg on Face? LOL!
*SMIRK*
It's always been a snap getting taxes voted in when the payroll is full of friends and relatives. And where is it written that a library is 'obligated.' We also see in your post the veiled threat to lay off cops and firemen if they don't vote for the taxes.
Start cutting.
Work harder.
Welcome to the world.
Our City Administrator and Chief of Police are AWESOME! I don’t know how the Chief runs the department on the budget he has. Our Administrator is true blue and kicks but for the City every day. God bless them both!
We don’t have to cut. We are losing by attrition. We aren’t a big town and we lose employees to larger cities in the area.
“Like Rush said today, when do we get to riot?”
Heard that today. I was in my car at a stoplight, CHEERING when he said that! :)
I’m ready. Come on over to my place. Bring your own ammo. Pitchforks will be provided! ;)
Then perhaps the ultimate solution is for you all to unincorporate and contract out fire and police to the county. Sometimes extensive local government is quite unnecessary.
We survived without 911...well to put it another way some survived. Others who would have survived with 911, didn't survive without it...because they didn't get the help they needed in time.
My grandparents didn't have indoor toilets or plumbing until the late 1940's. They survived without it, but just because they survived without it, doesn't mean I want to go back to that standard of living.
Dude. I spent 20 years in the Army. Eight of those under Clinton. You think YOU have it tough these days?
ROFLMAO!
Go in, around, under or through. Git ‘er done!
Wow, In my town the telephone company does all the E911 work.
DO you have a city owned telephone company?? I know some smaller mid-west town still have some of them, and a few coops..
Never bring a knife (or any cutting/stabbing utensil) to a gunfight.
Why?
What you want or don't want is irrelevant.
The question is, of the things you want, what can you pay for?
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