I have recently come to the conclusion that I could never be a successful politician. There just seems to be a stark difference between the way I see reality and the way the people who run our government see it. And that is particularly true when it comes to financial matters.
Being the simple, non-sophisticated type that I am, I would naturally assume that when you are managing the budget of some municipal body you’d use a lot of the same principles that you’d use to manage a family budget. I would be careful that I was not spending a lot more than I was taking in. I’d research major purchases thoroughly before committing funds to them. And when tough times hit, I’d tighten my belt and learn to get by on less money to avoid digging myself into a bigger hole.
But that kind of small-minded thinking obviously has no place in government. It’s easy to see that at the national level as evidenced by the eye-popping deficits we run each year, but there are good examples of how local politicians like to “make it rain” with our tax money as well.
This week Houston County residents passed a referendum that will raise our property taxes to fund a new hazard warning system. The new tax is expected to generate about $1.8 million, a figure that was initially calculated as what it would cost to purchase sirens that could be heard by 95% of county residents. However, some time ago it was decided that a system that depended on sirens alone would be inadequate, and currently there is no definitized plan on exactly what the county is going to purchase with that money.
Had I been in the loop on this, I would have suggested that the government decide on exactly what kind of system they were going to buy and how much that system would cost before I proposed any tax increase. What is the old saying about buying a pig in a poke? But we’re trusting types in Houston County, and we obviously don’t mind handing over our money in hopes that our representatives will find something good to spend it on.
For another example of forward-thinking economics we turn to Centerville, where the city government held the first of a series of meetings this week to explain to citizens why they think it would be a good idea to raise their property taxes a whopping 27 percent.
Many angry citizens filled council chambers to express their displeasure with the potential tax increase, which comes at a time when citizens are suffering the effects of the worst economic downturn in a generation. Patient city leaders calmly explained to their constituents that even though city is not currently running a deficit they need more money from them to fund things like infrastructure improvements and “promoting downtown businesses.”
Puzzled business owners who attended the meeting seemed confused by the concept of promoting business by raising property taxes on businesses, and many attendees strongly encouraged city leaders to look for ways to cut costs in lieu of raising taxes on cash-strapped citizens. I personally live in Centerville, and based on my non-scientific polling of average citizens I’d say that sentiment is pretty widely shared.
And that’s just too bad. Centerville residents need to catch the same spirit that voters who approved the disaster warning system obviously tapped into. It’s the spirit that says to government, “take my money - I trust you’ll find something good to spend it on.”
Personally, I don’t think I could adequately represent people who are that generous with their money and that trusting of their government to spend it responsibly. Maybe a lot of my neighbors feel the same way. After all, when was the last time an incumbent got turned out of office around here?
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