THE RIGHT SIDE
BY BUDD SCHROEDER
FEBRUARY 1, 2010
WILL YOU BE PART OF THE PROCESS?
Taxes are too high.
The rich should pay higher taxes.
Government is too expensive.
Something has to be done to reduce property taxes. People can’t afford to live in their own
homes if they retire. The state
places too many restrictions on businesses which is the reason businesses are
leaving and new ones won’t come to New
York.
Public employees are getting too many sweetheart deals on pensions and
health care plans.
We have all heard the comments and because this is an election year, the
politicians are well aware of the people’s concerns. Since re-election is a top priority with
incumbents, we may hear a lot of campaign speeches with them addressing these
problems. Some will make sense,
some will offer solutions, and some will be pure rhetoric with excuses. Some may even be pure political side
stepping and promises.
By now, we should expect all this.
One of the big targets this year will be school districts. This is probably the only government
expense that is devoted to one occupation.
The county tax includes many departments and so do town and village
taxes. Town taxes are included in
the county tax bill and they are accepted as part of the cost of living in the
chosen locality.
But the school tax is sent all by itself and it can be the largest of the
tax bills in some localities. It
can draw resentment from some people, especially those who don’t have children
in the system. Yet, some people don’t drive or use libraries, but pay for them,
too. Some people begrudge paying
for welfare because they don’t believe there should be a safety net for those
who are unfortunate. That is a
pretty mean spirited attitude.
But schools lately have been getting the brunt of the criticism and in
truth, there should be some adjustments in funding and in taxation. Many believe there is too much top heavy
administration costs. Perhaps the
consolidation of smaller districts could help that factor. It would seem logical that a school
district could and should have at least 10,000 students. Why should a school district having
fewer than 500 students have a superintendent with a six figure salary? That could be hard to
justify.
The first priority should be the education of students, but with the
power of the unions, their focus seems to be on the welfare of the
employees. That is the prime
function of the unions and often conflicts with the attitudes of the
taxpayer.
There is a dichotomy between the philosophies of: “A workman is worthy of his hire,” and
“Nothing is worth more than what people are willing or able to pay.” And, this is the problem for the
politicians. In Allegany County, there are many non-residents who
have property, but use it seasonally.
This gives the assessor the perfect condition for assessing land. The assessor and politicians can skin
the taxpayer without disturbing the voter.
This is a politician’s dream.
There are no easy answers.
No matter which way a law is written there will always be supporters and
critics. Sometimes an issue really
heats up and squeaking wheels get the grease. It can even cause people to set up
tents on public land in protest for their perceived grievances, and that gets
attention.
This might be a route for taxpayers to get attention, but since most
taxpayers work for a living, it could be impractical. It is going to be an interesting journey
to the ballot box in November with many issues to resolve. It will be fun writing columns during
this time. Remember: we get the government we deserve. Plan on being a participant on Election
Day!
Intelligent people get involved in the
process. The weak-minded,
irresponsible dunderheads will ignore the campaigns and stay home. Usually, they are the biggest whiners
when the country heads in the wrong direction. Then, these idiots have the nerve to
blame other people. What a shame in
a great country!
