I am back for a rant.... I am feeling like Andy Rooney.   Anyway... I was reading the paper this morning and they were talking about the new toll booth system they are are building for the expressway to RTP.  A lot of people are pissed because who wants to pay tolls.  Well an email to the paper was published, from a reader.  The reader basically said (Paraphrasing)...Tolls suck but if not for tolls where is the money going to come from?  Gas tax... which pays for roads hasn't been raised since 1992.  Fuel efficiency and cost of gas has shrunk the revenue even more due to less consumption.  Simple addition and subtraction!

    Well it finally stoked my inner grouch because you see in politics that every candidate wants lower taxes.  Why... because no one will vote for a candidate if they don't promise to lower taxes.  The reality is... you can't lower taxes forever.  We love having services.... police... fire.... paved roads... streetlights...etc....  Lots of citizens even bitch about not having enough services.  When cost of living rises for us... the citizen... cost of business also rises for the public services.  Things cost money.. yet instead of getting a boost of money to afford general supplies and staff they need to perform the service... they get the next politician that lowers taxes.  Taxes suck... but sometimes they are a necessary evil.  The common argument is that the government just wastes the taxes anyway... so what... pick up your toy and go home?  That is not the answer.  The beauty of this country is if you don't like what the government is doing... you can become proactive in it. You can run for office.. or you can join a watch dog group... write letters to congressmen.  Most people sit in their homes and gripe but never send a letter to their representatives.  How is the rep supposed to know what his/her constituents want if said constituents never speak except to gripe to each other?  For majority rule to work... the majority must be at least a vocal percentage as the minority.  Problem is... the minority always seems to have a louder voice that makes them sound like the majority.

 I guess my point is... we can't keep lowering taxes.. because you keep cutting into ability for services to buy supplies and staffing.  With the price of things increasing they can't keep their budgets stagnate because realize it or not.. with the services come jobs of friends and families.  But I guess it is like everything... if something doesn't directly effect you, you turn a blind eye and resist any burden you have to shoulder. 

 Nobody cares about education quality until they have kids, don't care about everyone getting healthcare until they are suffering from a serious illness with no insurance, and don't care about the war unless they have a relative impacted by it.

/rant

Have a good Sunday everyone!