A dollar here, a dollar there....

Wasn't it almost laughable how incensed people were because Allegheny Power was charging for what everyone thought were "free" lamps?

If people would only get as worked up over some other items.  Here's just a few:

Your phone bill is not a luxury any more, it is a necessity.  But has anyone ever looked at the multiple pages of tripe?  There is one onerous fee that the government sticks consumers with every month.  It's the 911 fee.  Imagine $1 per month on EVERY line in Maryland!  How many people have actually used 911?  Yet every month you pay $1 for each line.  If you have several lines into your home, you pay for each one, month after month, year after year! How many phone lines are there in Maryland?  Probably millions! Has anyone ever heard a similar concern raised about the 911 fee? 

I will concede that citizens are becoming more incensed with their property tax bill.  Isn't it time?  While every property owner is assessed an annual fee for the "privilege" of living in Washington County, bureaucrats would argue that the tax is "for the public good."  What a bunch of bull!  You will never own your home.  You rent it from the government.  Country residents receive very little in community service. Aside from roads, maybe police protection, and a public educational system (for what good it is) few country residents receive any substantive value for their property tax. 

Though it's "only" $30 a year, the state has even started taxing country properties for sewer.  But let the county establish a $50 million sewer debt and guess who ends up footing the bill?  The country dwellers. And after the initial outrage, how did our bureaucrats deal with the public?  They simply tacked the $30 fee onto your property tax, which in many cases is hidden in your mortgage payment. 

Every year Americans get to "celebrate" a tax free day.  Last year It was estimated that taxpayers would work through July 11 to satisfy their confiscatory tax obligation. That was 2 days later than in 2006!  And obviously over 6 months of effort to fund government!  I can remember when the "free" day was in May. 

Next time you are asked to support a candidate, or enter the polling booth, remember this country boy's musings.  Remember how government chips away at your hard earned dollars and how frivolously bureaucrats waste those same dollars.

Remember and vote accordingly.

The Patriot Sharpshooter