We've been warning legislators and other elected officials about taking "free" federal (and even state) money for years. Strings attached. And not appropriate government activities anyway.
Only a few listened. Now we're paying the piper.
We must decide carefully between NEEDS (e.g., essential public safety functions) and WANTS (e.g., freebies to illegal residents and those who won't work, massive waste in public education).
Government must STOP pandering to wants and focus on needs only. That switch will be painful to those enjoying taxpayer funded largesse and to the people in charge of doling it out. We ask both the former and the latter to get "real" jobs or create their own real jobs by performing services that people WANT to pay for, not services they are FORCED to pay for.
Voting automatic YES on maintenance budgets bakes in the excesses of previous years. Just because a department spent X last year doesn't (or shouldn't) grant automatic pass for this year and next and next. The first question to ask is "Should we be spending X on that item in the first place?" If the answer is NO, the budget must not be passed without removing the inappropriate appropriation.
We're also adamantly opposed to having government divert funds to ANY non-governmental organizations.
Few legislators have the backbone to meet these no-waste, needs-only standards. But to those who do, we send our sincere admiration and thanks!
Thank you for all your work. It's not an easy job.
We've been warning legislators and other elected officials about taking "free" federal (and even state) money for years. Strings attached. And not appropriate government activities anyway.
Only a few listened. Now we're paying the piper.
We must decide carefully between NEEDS (e.g., essential public safety functions) and WANTS (e.g., freebies to illegal residents and those who won't work, massive waste in public education).
Government must STOP pandering to wants and focus on needs only. That switch will be painful to those enjoying taxpayer funded largesse and to the people in charge of doling it out. We ask both the former and the latter to get "real" jobs or create their own real jobs by performing services that people WANT to pay for, not services they are FORCED to pay for.
Voting automatic YES on maintenance budgets bakes in the excesses of previous years. Just because a department spent X last year doesn't (or shouldn't) grant automatic pass for this year and next and next. The first question to ask is "Should we be spending X on that item in the first place?" If the answer is NO, the budget must not be passed without removing the inappropriate appropriation.
We're also adamantly opposed to having government divert funds to ANY non-governmental organizations.
Few legislators have the backbone to meet these no-waste, needs-only standards. But to those who do, we send our sincere admiration and thanks!