I have lived in the same city for most of my life. When I was younger, the government road maintenance would each year bring a road grader by my family property to remove dirt and debris from the water drainage ditches lining the public roadways. One man operating 1 piece of equipment. Sometimes he would make two passes before the ditch was clean. The project was quick and efficient.
Today, I was driving by that same property and I came upon a Caltrans crew cleaning the same ditch. Two flagmen, 2 large pieces of equipment with 2 operators, and 3 laborers - one carrying a shovel, the other two walking and pointing. 7 workers and multiple pieces of equipment doing today, what 1 man and 1 piece of equipment previously did. All of this being paid for with our tax dollars. This is the same government that now is taking over our health care and is trying to take control of our financial markets. The same government that has so effectively managed our school systems. The same government that previously so effectively managed our financial systems.
When I was growing up in the time of the 1 operator on the 1 road grader, my mother was able to stay home and do what she wanted to do - raise her family, care for her home, and be a partner and wife to her husband. My father's income was moderate. My parents could afford to have my mother be there for her family and husband because my father's paycheck was available for their living expenses. It was their's to invest. As WalMart's slogan goes "Save Money - Live Better".
Today, both parents most often have to work in order to pay their bills, a significant portion of which is taxes. The government's response - it wants to raise taxes. After all, it needs to pay for the 7 workers and multiple pieces of equipment! It needs to fund the same failing schools - and why are they failing? Of course - the schools need more money!
At one time my father raised some pigs. When he would fill their feeding troughs the larger pigs would climb into the troughs - sometimes covered with mud and on occasion their fecal waste - to prevent the other pigs from eating. Today, when I see our current government leaders, they look strikingly similar to the pigs in the trough. A trough filled with our tax dollars.
As I was waiting for the 7 workers to allow traffic to pass, I thought - it is time to stop filling the trough. Its time to send the pigs to the packing house.