I need to vent today. I am frustrated about government waste...again. My tax dollars are constantly being spent on things that are not necessary. What got me thinking about this today was the real estate tax statement that my mom and dad received in the mail. I knew it was getting close to the time to be due so I paid my real estate taxes online as soon as it was posted. I never opened my tax statement when I received it because I had already paid it.
Anyway, back to the issue at hand of government waste. The tax statement that my parents received was printed on white paper with black, blue and red ink. I know what you are thinking, "What's the big deal?" Printing in color costs a lot of money. Why does the county feel the need to print out the tax statemens in color? Why? As an individual who watches her checkbook closely, it is appalling to me that the government takes the my tax dollars and wastes it on expensive paper.
The government should not receive a blank check to spend and not be held accountable. There are ways to cut spending without disrupting the current services that it has. It is going to take more accountability on the parts of our politicians as well as the citizens of this country. Printing in black and white costs one third of what it costs to print in color. When I think how many statements went out, we are talking about significant savings. Who made the decision to print in color without being asked the cost? Or was this person given a budget and instead of trying to find the least expensive way of doing the project, they spent all of their budget? Is it necessary for the government to spend every last dime of a budget or is it reasonable to expect them to try to go below the budget and save the difference? I realize that going over budget happens frequently. All one has to do is look at our national debt to see that.
I am going to take a break from this blog as I can feel my blood pressure start to rise when I think about it. I want to believe that a government can be responsible with the money given to them. I really do. However, I have never seen it happen so I am doubtful.
