I too respect your opinion and your right to it.
With that, here are some other thoughts on the matter from someone whose BTDT:
Might want to take a closer look at the underlying issues.
No, that's a big problem with our society. Unfortunately it seems to begin with our government officials.
It seems as though you are suggesting the end somehow justifies the means?
And as for the layoffs, they're not nearly as widespread as the private sector, and in many cases, these folks fall into other private sector, or government positions.
Frankly, I'm tired of government workers from all levels, thinking that they somehow have an expectation of job security
Citizens all over our great country are being laid off.
People are losing jobs,l industry is shutting down or paring back, and jobs are being "outsourced" to 3rd world (cheap labor) countries on a regular basis.
Many of these job "losses" shouldn't have been "jobs" in the first place.
So, do we sit back and allow our local, state and federal agencies, to jack up fees simply to make up for their inadequacies and inabilities?
One must also realize that many of these fines and fees, require nothing more than local approval to increase and there's limited oversight.
We've had these campaigns in the past. I've been involved in them
It's nothing anyone will admit to, nothing you can "prove" and there's no documentation, but they do exist. BTDT.
While your comments and points are well taken, and in some aspects, right on the money (no pun intended), you also make my point better than I ever could.
GOVERNMENT has to step up to the plate first!
Our leaders need to learn to live within a budget, learn how to save and cut where possible, and quit living outside their means simply because they can!
Sure, we've always been a country that steps up to help when disaster strikes.
We're a country of volunteers
I still volunteer my time with a SAR team.
Then again, these disasters are
generally not MAN MADE.
The budget is a man made problem, with a man made solution.
I disagree that no one is stepping up to help those out of work.
I see fundraisers all the time for this group or that, who provide assistance for those in need.
But I'm NOT going to sit back, and allow our, no MY, government, to randomly jack up fees, add "value" to things previously considered a public service (ie: taxpayer funded).
You're correct about people living beyond their means and using the equity in their homes as a personal slush fund.
But remember too, who the "enablers" were.
It was our own government who "enabled" those set on doing so, by allowing prices on homes to be artificially inflated to ridiculous levels!
Why?
To gain more $$$$ in property taxes to begin with.
Add to that, the banking and finance industries, and the lack of competent oversight, and you have the recipe for the disaster we have today
Now that those artificially inflated values have gone away, now that many jurisdictions have required their government heads to cut back, you're starting to see and hear the whining and crying from those same people who got used to living on YOUR MONEY.
It's not about the silly chit like $20.00 fines for front plates, or even the ludicrous act of citing a parked work truck for the missing plates, etc.
Our parking enforcement peeps do that sort of crap all the time.
It's more about WHY this is happening, and the associated costs with many of the other violations.
It's about
clerks who are willing to whore out the system by reducing (can you say perjuring) the ticket to some non-committed violation, as long as you send them the $400.00
When we as citizens allow that kind of crap to happen, we do everyone a disservice.
If you violate the laws that are in place in your jurisdiction, so be it.
Pay the damned ticket and move on!
I just got a parking ticket the other day.
I had 2 business signs on my car, one on either side as required by local ordinance.
Apparently, the one on the passenger side had fallen off somewhere along the way.
Since we don't have to go to the curb side when parking in a loading zone (with proper signage) there was no way I'd have known it was gone.
I return about 20 minutes later, and have a parking ticket for $30.00 for not having 2 signs.
You can see where the other sign had been. You can see the sign on the driver's side of the f**king car.
One would think that common sense would dictate, right?
Not in today's world.
Technically, they're right, and I'm going to pay the ticket (I'll write it off as a parkinhg fee
), but why?
In years past, that would never have occurred.
It's a sign of the times.
A government not able or willing to cut back on the FAT; and instead, determined to have their way by increasing fees/fines and becoming anal retentive on the statutes and ordinances.
So no, I'll not simply sit back and "do my part" to help pay for a corrupt and incompetent government!!
As for government employees losing jobs, I'm sorry to see it happen.
I hate to see anyone lose a job or a business.
Then again, many of these "jobs" should never have existed in the first place.
I've been in government service almost my entire life, and continue to serve as a G-contractor.
And, I've been a victim of the budget.
I planned a career with the military reserves.
After activation in 1990-91, and 12 years of honorable service, I (and about 30 others in my unit) was RIF'd as part of the governments budget cuts at that time.
Did I piss and moan about it?
Nope!
Not happy about it, and it certainly f**ked up some plans
, but it is what it is, and you focus FORWARD, adapt and move on
I now run a business (several actually).
I treat my clients money as I would my own, maybe even better
I try to save them $$ where I can, and keep their overall costs reasonable.
So as soon as our government starts doing the same, I'll get on board.
At that time, if we need to raise fees on user based services (we've already done that here and it keeps going up and up!), I'll be fine with that.
In the meantime, if you have to have layoffs, do so through attrition!
In many of the cases where government threatens, lets say, a reduction in law enforcement, much of that comes through attrition or "shuffling" anyway. It's just not mentioned.
So until government stops using layoffs, threats of slowdowns and reductions in critical services, as tools to prod the cattle into getting onto their truck, and begin to treat our government as a BUSINESS, spending OUR money, not theirs, they way it should be spent, saving when and where they can, then I'll have more sympathy.
Until that time, you can find sympathy in the dictionary between s**t and Syphilis
Sorry for the rant as well, but it's a subject that is close to home.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
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