Less Money, Fewer Jobs, Same bloated Government with more Taxes



The latest phenomenon by taxpayers is tea parties imitating the early patriots protest against taxation without representation. The British placed taxes on many products in the 18th Century leading up to the American Revolution. Since tea was a staple to the Brits, they taxed it and other products, to make the colonies pay for themselves. No wonder the Americans eventually became coffee drinkers. We are seeing protests all over the US with such items as teabag earrings to make the point again. It’s easy to aim all protests at the Federal Government. But it is important that we taxpayers aim our wrath in the right direction. In the state of New Jersey where I live, we have the ironic distinction of being the highest taxed state in the Union. The Governors of the state have never really addressed the heart of the problem for fear of losing the support of the real power brokers in the state. The often corrupt and always arrogant county freeholders are notorious in this state for never being voted out. Hudson County in the early 20th century is the poster child for this system. How can we lower our taxes when each county in the state is consuming over $1,250,000 per day to duplicate the services of the municipalities and the state? Jobs cannot be dismantled and the increases in pay are constant and with little or no opposition. Taxpayers that take their time and energy to show up and speak their mind are often laughed at and cut short by the freeholders holding the meetings. Who gets the jobs in county government? Relatives of the freeholders are holding the majority of the jobs. The argument in this economic crisis by my county to save the jobs of county workers is to cut services for the taxpayers. The latest in my county is closing a county run golf course at a time when baby boomers are being retired at a record pace and the other unemployed have too much time on their hands. Our course where you don’t have to pay county club fees is closed and plowed over in record time. In New Jersey the construction on county roads is a lifetime affair of holding up traffic and rerouting lanes, but the golf course is plowed over in record time. The employees who get to keep their jobs while private businesses are averaging several hundred thousand new unemployed per month. The worst part is because of their seniority all earn over $100,000 per year. Is it any wonder we are paying over a million a month for these bureaucrats and their relatives to stay employed? The pensions of these people will burden our children with taxes for years to come. What private company has a pension plan anymore? Everyone is ready to let General Motors die because they are bleeding red ink from the pensions of the past autoworkers.

New England has done the best job to address the problem by doing away with the county tax drains and giving the services to the municipalities and townships. If the State of New Jersey were a private business the reorganization of this type of money drain would have taken place years ago. But since they are funded by our tax dollars they are fighting for lifetime employment. It is time to resurrect the old adage for earth day to think globally and act locally. There is no advantage of blaming a 90-day-old President for a hundred years of duplicate services, jobs for life and pensions, which have not been available in the private sector for over 20 years. The taxpayer revolution has to start by streamlining the bloated government right in our states.

Are We Really That Crazy?

The views of Charlie Brooker, of the BBC, on American news programs.

Warning, there are words in this, that could offend someone who is offended by certain words. So watch out.

Island Paradise with a Bad Rap

When looking for a get away, we have many more choices than the average person has the money to spend on rest and relaxation these days. For a large majority of people the daily grind of working each day is just a means to get away to the land of the rich and leisurely for that well earned vacation we dream of. It helps us get through each dreary day we schlep into work and home again for what turns out to be most of our lives. But the question each year for those few precious weeks we are allotted by the companies we work for is where to spend the savings we have eked out from our monthly expenses. When it comes to a family vacation by far the locations include beaches and warm weather. Hawaii I just read is the first choice for Americans. Why not! Consistently warm weather, no passport required and no hassles with the currency. But the distance for those of us on the East Coast has been a limiting factor. You don't go for a few days? Even a week kills two full days of travel and the jet lag takes away from several more days both going and coming. The Caribbean Islands and Mexico are very popular locations. Recently Mexico is suffering from the bad press of their drug lords. What is an American tourist worth in negotiations to free their captured leaders. And don't forget the water. How many or us have had some degree of the dreaded Montezuma's revenge? How do you avoid salads and other things made with tap water?



So we have a seemingly endless number of islands to choose from dotting the Caribbean for that well-earned time to rejuvenate. I have been to many of them and like to try a new one each time since when you've see them once, you want a new adventure next time. All of this leads to the fact that this year's family choice was Aruba. Of my many years of vacations it is a repeat that took 25 years to go back to. This is mostly due to the fact that it's a big world and so many places to go. Last time to Aruba was all-inclusive and just my wife and I. This time was a family adventure and my sister, daughter and niece were joining us. It is unfortunate that when we hear the word Aruba our association is immediately with Natalee Holloway. If the name has quickly slipped our aging minds, she is the young girl who disappeared on a class graduation trip. Every parent�s worst fear!� But oddly enough of all vacation choices, it may be the safest of all places to go. Even Honolulu has a much higher crime rate. Having been to Jamaica and the Bahamas you don't just walk around everywhere you please. Only Bermuda is as upscale as Aruba when it comes to safety, which usually correlates the amount of poverty on the island. Everybody takes the US dollar so no problems converting currency. And the weather just as in the commercials is consistently 86 degrees in the day and 75 at night. Yes it is a breezy island with the air moving most of the time. Some days are more than others. Why the bad rap? Because this is the last place you would expect the missing teen story. Since the suspect was a local of Dutch extraction with a rich father who happened to be a judge, local authorities mishandled the case. If the crime were committed by a poor native on any of the islands in the Caribbean we would be awaiting their execution for the justice that American's and particularly Nancy Grace are seeking. How many readers with young female daughters would have picked Aruba for their vacation?

Post written by Barry the Boomer.