Here & There Column 7-1-08

Higher Taxes & Prices Face Us On This July 4th

As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day in three more days the glamor of this great National Holiday is somewhat dimmed by ever increasing taxes, higher gasoline and fuel prices, higher utility costs, higher food prices and the steady increase in everything it takes to put a roof over your head and food on the table.
People on fixed incomes and some retired folks are feeling the noose around their neck getting just a little bit tighter and tighter.
On July 4, 1776 the United States declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain In the Declaration of Independence of the 13 colonies one of the reasons for wanting the independence was because the Kingdom of Great Britain was "imposing taxes on us without our consent."
Great words of wisdom from the original 13 colonies and our governments, municipalities and school districts of today have adopted and now use the same principal of taxing us without our consent.
Everyday we see or hear in the media this government or this school district is raising taxes and we all sit back and just grin and bear it.
Albany is our own mind is still a big, big mess and is more then broken because the same folks up there are more worried abut getting elected then doing what is right by capping property taxes.
State government is very dysfunctional and nothing is going to change in Albany or anywhere else until we all speak up and say we just can't afford to pay any additional tax increases.
We continue to preach that state, local governments and school districts have to share services and use the modern methods of consolidation and downsizing.
Now Sullivan County residents are going to have to bite the bullet on a new county jail that probably should have been built years ago and no where during that time was their any thought to talk to adjoining counties like Orange and Ulster to see if they would consider sharing the cost for one jail facility for a three county area and possibly this could have saved everyone a couple of bucks, but, again no consolidation thinking to possibly save taxpayers from paying the full freight.
If gasoline price increases are not enough burden for New York travelers the New York State Thruway Authority is putting in effect the first of three toll increases and just last Sunday travelers saw a decrease in the E-ZPass discount from 10 percent discount off the cash toll now down to 5 percent discount.
Many politicians make it a point on July 4 to appear at a public event to praise the nation's laws, heritage, society and people.....this year they better have some concrete answers to the major issues we have noted above.