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Is there an end to the senseless spending? [UPDATED]
Published 9:50am Thursday, February 7, 2013 Updated 11:51am Thursday, February 7, 2013First I’d like to set the record straight to establish that I don’t subscribe to the notion of anarchy nor am I in total opposition of the collection of taxes.
Taxes are needed for the operation of essential services in what I’ll call a civilized and compassionate society. However, what I object to is the out of control, needless spending by “all” government agencies; Federal, State, County, City and the agencies within.
That being said, I will focus on one local entity for the sake of brevity for the time being. The Fergus Falls School system, led by Jerry Ness and the school board proposes yet “more” spending at the expense of those who have the burden of paying for it.
Last November the ballot included the proposed bonding initiative to make improvements to the outdoor sporting facilities; that effort failed. It has been said that I’m not informed to the efforts made in this venture.
Nothing could be further from the truth. It also was pointed out to me that State Statute allows this proposal to go before the taxpayers a 2nd time in six months. This may be so, but it certainly doesn’t make it right. Many of you all know that scores of local residence go south for the winter & utilize an absentee ballot.
Again they too are faced with this returning agenda a 2nd time while not returning after the first. Then there’s the question as to the need of this spending venture and for what?
Just for the sake of argument I’ll concede to what I understand to be the needed replacement of the North bleacher section of the outdoor facilities.
In my opinion that project could be undertaken with building funds that the school district already posses while dispensing with a bonding initiative altogether. The rest of what Mr. Ness and the school board propose is lots and lots of more expensive, useless fluff. I’m sick and tired of the mentality of want, want, want.
The students don’t suffer from the lack of necessity, nor should they. They have a more than adequate outdoor sporting facility and a beautifully remodeled “learning” facility that is tailored to their educational needs and incidentally is second to none while provided by citizens who are already taxed enough.
It makes no difference what spin is put on how “little” my taxes will increase. Any amount is too much. What next? There’s never an end in sight to all the insane spending.
I haven’t had a cost of living raise in over four years and what little I did receive in previous years prior hasn’t remotely come close to help in the ever increasing cost of living expenses; it’s the principal of it all.
Vaughn Ebbighausen
Fergus Falls
