I was at breakfast with a friend of mine the other day and he was telling me about the increase in the costs of our license plates. From what he told me the cost has nearly doubled and when you consider we can now get our tags in two year increments. It is possible that you might be paying 4 times what you paid last year when you visited the DMV, at least in Florida. I was stunned to hear that news, he also filled me on that drivers licenses also basically doubled in cost as well. Just when we can least afford new taxes we are hit with another one! Our city council recently voted to raise our millage rate, someone told me they raised it the maximum amount allowed by law but I have not independently verified that claim. This year we have also have been forced to pay new city fee, a waste water drainage fee as well. This and all the other shenanigans our political figures are involved with has forced me to conclude that instead of shrinking government, EVER, we will continue to be strapped with additional tax burdens.
I do not know about you but Bride and I are struggling to make ends meet. We are in that income bracket that is just high enough to remove us from the assistance lists and just low enough to that we are freaking struggling to make ends meet. I for one an sick and damn tired of being the guy getting screwed, nary or kiss or the KY yours + mine to at least make it fun! What I can not figure out is why the government bodies, local, state and federal do not seem to be able to cut spending. The size of government continues to grow, every year and when times are lean they still grow. During the last year we have had to continuously cut our spending in my household, as I am sure most folks have. Why is it that we allow our government to continue on, unabated, with what ever plans and programs they have to maintain. It is like we are feeding the machine but the machine has become huge and lethargic and I for one sometimes wonder what the hell the original purpose of the machine was and why do we have to continue to feed it.
I understand we need government and I am not one who thinks anyone should break up our union. I am not one who wishes for all government to go away, they do have some constitutional obligations to us, the people of this country. They have some programs that are beneficial to a great many people and they protect us with Police and Fire Fighters. There are, however, A LOT things, at all levels that they are doing that should at least be looked at. We need to at least slow the growth of government, I would say it needs to be rolled way back and I would prefer to stop the growth but knowing I need to keep my expectations realistic I would hope for at least slowing the growth. I for one can not afford to allow this continued growth, I simple just do not make enough money. I fear that I am headed for the poor house unless something is done to stop all the new taxes. They can call them fees or charges or whatever the hell they want to but it is a tax and I feel it is without proper representation, the folks that are supposed to be representing us are stuck in the wood chipper and unable to get themselves out.
It happens in a very controlled way, controlled by those who will benefit from it. Lockheed Martin for example, they build the F22 Raptor fighter plane. This approx 70 million dollar plane is a top of line fighter, it has no equal, it truly has nothing even in its league. This top shelf fighter costs in the neighborhood of 70 million per plane, not cheap but by military standards it is a bargain compared to the 2.2 BILLION we paid for each of the twenty one B2 bombers in our military arsenal. Well I will give you some insight into how that happens, in my opinion. So all the funding for the military has to come from Congress, you know the legislative branch of our three legged government. That spending bill is then signed by the President, the executive branch of our government. So how does Lockheed Martin sweeten the pot for the military to justify the purchases to the legislators in congress? Below is a map of the Lockheed Martin facilities around the country that have more than 200 employees.
I do not know about you but Bride and I are struggling to make ends meet. We are in that income bracket that is just high enough to remove us from the assistance lists and just low enough to that we are freaking struggling to make ends meet. I for one an sick and damn tired of being the guy getting screwed, nary or kiss or the KY yours + mine to at least make it fun! What I can not figure out is why the government bodies, local, state and federal do not seem to be able to cut spending. The size of government continues to grow, every year and when times are lean they still grow. During the last year we have had to continuously cut our spending in my household, as I am sure most folks have. Why is it that we allow our government to continue on, unabated, with what ever plans and programs they have to maintain. It is like we are feeding the machine but the machine has become huge and lethargic and I for one sometimes wonder what the hell the original purpose of the machine was and why do we have to continue to feed it.
I understand we need government and I am not one who thinks anyone should break up our union. I am not one who wishes for all government to go away, they do have some constitutional obligations to us, the people of this country. They have some programs that are beneficial to a great many people and they protect us with Police and Fire Fighters. There are, however, A LOT things, at all levels that they are doing that should at least be looked at. We need to at least slow the growth of government, I would say it needs to be rolled way back and I would prefer to stop the growth but knowing I need to keep my expectations realistic I would hope for at least slowing the growth. I for one can not afford to allow this continued growth, I simple just do not make enough money. I fear that I am headed for the poor house unless something is done to stop all the new taxes. They can call them fees or charges or whatever the hell they want to but it is a tax and I feel it is without proper representation, the folks that are supposed to be representing us are stuck in the wood chipper and unable to get themselves out.
It happens in a very controlled way, controlled by those who will benefit from it. Lockheed Martin for example, they build the F22 Raptor fighter plane. This approx 70 million dollar plane is a top of line fighter, it has no equal, it truly has nothing even in its league. This top shelf fighter costs in the neighborhood of 70 million per plane, not cheap but by military standards it is a bargain compared to the 2.2 BILLION we paid for each of the twenty one B2 bombers in our military arsenal. Well I will give you some insight into how that happens, in my opinion. So all the funding for the military has to come from Congress, you know the legislative branch of our three legged government. That spending bill is then signed by the President, the executive branch of our government. So how does Lockheed Martin sweeten the pot for the military to justify the purchases to the legislators in congress? Below is a map of the Lockheed Martin facilities around the country that have more than 200 employees.
As you can see they are spreading the manufacture of their products around the country, everyone gets a piece of the pie. I could not find a list of facilities with less than 200 employees but I would bet you anything they have all 50 states covered pretty well.
What has happened to our country? Maybe I am just jaded because I reside firmly on the bottom of the economic ladder and do not feel like my shitty economy has any positive outlook. It is hard for me, and getting harder, to feel optimistic about our countries future, this is not political for me it is about being an American and being proud of it. We should all know by now that it matters little which party is actually in office the machine is too big for any of them to control and it just keeps grinding away, just like a wood chipper, pulling them in and shredding them into little chips. I do not know what the answers are to these CRAZY times but I know I have turned off most all of my luxuries and am still struggling to get by. Seems like the stimulus has passed me by on its way to some obviously more deserving folks! I for one need government to control itself, it they are unable to and continue to tax me to death I will be looking for one of my friends to put us up!
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Add all these new or raised state taxes, the huge increase in our utility bills and the increase this healthcare bill is going to add, and there goes all of your spending money.
ReplyDeleteI don't see any layoffs in government, cutting of pay or trimming down.