EVERYONE should be doing this – ALL levels of Government

Filed under Government Spending.

I had a meeting of our Town’s Budget Committee last night as we were completing our review of the municipal budget – we start in on the School Board side in a couple of weeks.  I was talking with another of the members, new this year, after the meeting on a number of topics  While he and I could see eye-to-eye on a number of things, it ranged over a number of topics, one of which was limited Government.  This fits:

Here is a Democrat Governor complaining how much the Feds impact his State budget with nary a care.  Got news for ya, Gov – it’s done here too!   Everywhere actually – it has the technical term of "kicking the can down the road" or "pushing the costs down".  Effectively, either of these translate to

"Make it someone else’s headache, not your own"

We found that here in our little hamlet – last year, after we pared our budget down and ended up with basically a flat budget to present to the voters, the elected officials at the County level (the New Hampshire State House Representatives from Belknap County) raise their portion of our property taxes by almost 9%. 

This year, we have "invited" Alida Millham, Chair of the Belknap County delegation (or is it Convention – drawing a blank) to meet with the Budget Committee.  Fortunately, she is also a resident of our town so it shouldn’t be a travel hardship (I literally could pick her up on the way to the meeting in my 4-wheel drive Suburban if the weather goes bad – I drive by her house).

I think it very prudent that each level of government ask the next one up to give an account of their financial stewardship of the taxpayer money – after all, it really isn’t theirs!

And that IS the problem when Government grows larger and larger – that dreaded word – Accountability often gets lost in the shuffle – Gov. Bredesen wants it from the Feds, we want it from the County.

You, Mr. / Mrs. / Miss Taxpayer, ought to be demanding Accountability from every level – and that would include mine (and me) for spending YOUR money badly.