Governments at all levels in the USA need to understand how “we, the people” maintain financial responsibility. We must know how much money we have available and then budget and spend according to what we “must have” vs “what would be nice to have.” And, in today’s economy “must have” usually eats most, if not all, of our budgets.
We were asked to vote this election on a significant tax increase in Salt Lake County. As I read the justification for the requested increase it became very clear to me that much of this would fit the “would be nice to have” category.
We understand that government operating costs have increased just like our personal costs. We can’t just borrow money to spend more simply because many of us don’t have the financial capacity to pay for the loan’s principal plus interest fees.
Further, we’ve had to look for ways to cut our expenses. Fewer, if any, vacation trips, movies, eating out, etc. Shopping sales instead of just buying. Soon we may have to cut back on charitable giving.
Most senior citizens on fixed incomes can’t just allocate more money to higher taxes.
The government must understand its constituents and not just use its perceived authority to “buy what would be nice to have.”
Bruce Huber, West Jordan