Let me throw this out there. I realize I am not a financial whiz,
one only needs to look at my checkbook to see that. But I can’t understand why
we can’t keep the town budget the same next year as it was this year.
As I wrote in my last post as a tea party kind of guy I have
a problem with being told I am just frustrated over taxation and I am only perceiving
government largess, as
pointed out by our Town Administrator:
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The petition, in my opinion, lacks any of the due diligence conducted in developing the official budget recommendations discussed above. Instead, it seeks to tap into general frustration over taxation, and perceived governmental largess, in hopes of gaining an emotional vote to level fund budgets with no workable or known alternative plan. This “blunderbuss” approach lacks credibility and, if passed, will result in substantial personnel layoffs and deep cuts to existing services.
Further down in the TA’s memo, is a list of cuts which would
need to be made if Ballot Question 4 is passed. Each of his proposed cuts
involves cutting personnel or reducing operating hours. Is this really the only
way the budget can be cut?
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First, let me ask this. What is increasing in the budget which
is making it necessary to
raise it 4.6%? Yes, operating costs, debt service, etc. automatically go up
and we are committed to paying these. But what else is rising? Salaries
perhaps? How many of us haven’t had raises in years and we have learned to live
with it, why can’t our non-union employees? Does the Town Administrator need a
raise, the Librarian?
What about other areas? Have we really tried to find cost
savings in all departments or have we just developed a budget on the assumption
that we will get the extra money? Maybe we have, I don’t know, but I suspect
this may not be the case. Have we looked at privatizing some services? How many
towns in the area still run and equip their own school buses? How much would
this save us every year if we went to a private company?
No, I don’t have the answers, only questions, but I really
believe we have fallen into a pattern of “Let’s raise the budget every year because
we can.” It is time we stop spending and take a hard look at where our money
goes and how it is spent, and take a serious look at whether we can run things
more efficiently.
So, yes, Mr. Suhoski, I am a frustrated tax
payer who loves living here but soon will no longer be able to afford it. And
yes I am one who believes there is governmental largess. So deal with it.
I have to agree with you this time around, I am a Democrat and to be truthful sometimes want to be a tea party member and the reason is I am sick and tired of government spend, spend, spend attitude. I am from Southbridge and have had enough. I am going to move and live out my older life in some other part of the country that I can afford. I know there is not to many places left like that but living in Southbridge is no longer affordable. We have a government that think they live in Malibu or South Beach Florida or some place were rich people live. They have forgotten that we are middle class or more likely poor people on fixed incomes. They use their positions for some type of personal gain or use it to fight for their cause. You have that in Sturbridge to. Look at the Sturbridge Board of Health you have a member that is against the Southbridge Landfill. They run for office, get elected and uses the position to fight Southbridge and the landfill operator and who pays the bill Sturbridge does. Just look at the past meeting minutes. When does it stop. Will it. I don't think it will. I am frustrated and I am pissed off because I cant afford it any longer. Yes I will make the best of it I will be OK. Hopefully some day the spend, spend and spend attitude will change and things will get better and affordable. Thanks for letting me vent have a good one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, and let me give you a short reply to your comment for now, with more to come later.
DeleteDon't beleive what you hear in the mainstream media about the tea party. While it is true it is mostly made up of Republicans, we are a mixture of people from all political philosophies and walks of life, with one thing in common, we are all fed up with high taxes, government waste, etc. etc.
What I call the true tea partiers beleive in four core principles: Fiscal responsibility, smaller government, strict constitutionality and personal responsibility.
here is a link to something I wrote discussing this:
http://www.teapartytribune.com/2012/05/07/will-the-real-tea-party-please-stand-up/
The comments by the suhoski are insulting. They're exaggerated just like the finance committee. One selectperson said that even though he doesn't support article 4 the town could find less dramatic ways to reduce the budget and minimize layoffs. He wrote a letter to residents saying if article 4 passes then it's important to use reason and not animosity in reducing the budget because that's what people want. The more the other guys use scare tactics the more committed I am to article 4. I don't like being insulted with nonsense.
ReplyDelete