Now here’s a monumentally bad idea. Florida ’s governor Charlie Crist is looking at selling the Florida toll roads to private companies. The prime candidate to be sold is Alligator Alley, the section of I-75 that goes from the east side of S. Florida over to the west side. It is basically the only way to go. It is the ONLY expressway across the Everglades and the only convenient way to get over to Naples , Cape Coral , Sanibel, etc. and the only way for people on that side to get over to Ft. Lauderdale , Miami and the Keys. So when it falls into the hands of a private company, what’s to stop them from raising the tolls from the present $2.50 up to $5 or $10 or even more? It is a virtual monopoly on a roadway. They can charge just about anything they want and people would have to ante up or drive an additional 70 miles or more on back roads to make the trip.
Governor Crist’s argument is that it will let the state garner a large sum of cash and he won’t have to raise taxes. And I’m here to tell you, that’s a load of bullshit. The LAST thing I want to see is any branch of government get it’s hands on a huge windfall of cash because the first thing they will want to do is find new ways to spend it, or more accurately, WASTE it. They will spend all the money and then raise taxes anyway to keep paying for the new government spending they wrote in when they got all the cash.
What ever happened to the idea that they will build a roadway and collect tolls until they recoup the cost of construction and then eliminate the tolls? That’s the whole idea of putting the toll on the road in the first place right? Or did everybody forget that part? Government officials will find a way to spend every cent they can get their hands on from any source they can get it from. Period. And once the cash is coming in, they aren’t going to turn off the spigot, so of course they just keep collecting the tolls.
There is no way you can convince me that selling the toll road and awarding a monopoly to a private company is in any way, shape or form, good for the citizens of S. Florida. It will end up costing the consumer more in the long run. You can bet on that.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Government waste
I just get disgusted when I see my tax dollars wasted. I have no problem with paying taxes for government programs that are needed and that do some actual good but that is not the case here.
Here is a link to the story in the Sun-Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbgrant1109nbnov09,0,1201779.story I don't know how long it will be live, but here is basically what it's about...
The city of Parkland in S. Florida, which is one of the richest cities in the area, is using a $52,922 federal grant designed to be used to help the poor, to pay for museum-going, bowling, fishing trips and other jaunts for some of their senior citizens. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for helping senior citizens, IF they need help, but Parkland (remember, one of the richest cities in the area) is populated by primarily well off citizenry that no more needs a handout than Bill Gates does, but because they qualify for the grant, they can use the money for pretty much anything they want, and not what it was really intended for.
The money will be used to pay for staff time, busses to shuttle the seniors, videotapes during the bus rides, office supplies, books, shirts for participants, admissions tickets, etc.
How can a city that has an average median household income more than twice the income of any other city in the county? Because, "seniors are presumed to be low-to-moderate income with a majority on a fixed income." PRESUMED... I would presume that with over double the average household income, these seniors are probably making more in retirement than most of the working class in the county makes working, yet WE are funding THEM. It's disgusting.
The officials of Parkland should be ashamed of themselves as should the rich seniors taking the dole when they don't really need it. It amounts to the rich stealing from the poor and it's yet another abuse and waste of the tax dollars of every hard working American.
It's about time we start doing something about things like this. We need to start voting people out of office that are responsible for wasting our hard earned dollars. I'm tired of working every day just to have the federal government take my money and throw it down the drain like this. Enough is enough.
Maybe it's time to start voting Libertarian...
Here is a link to the story in the Sun-Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbgrant1109nbnov09,0,1201779.story I don't know how long it will be live, but here is basically what it's about...
The city of Parkland in S. Florida, which is one of the richest cities in the area, is using a $52,922 federal grant designed to be used to help the poor, to pay for museum-going, bowling, fishing trips and other jaunts for some of their senior citizens. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for helping senior citizens, IF they need help, but Parkland (remember, one of the richest cities in the area) is populated by primarily well off citizenry that no more needs a handout than Bill Gates does, but because they qualify for the grant, they can use the money for pretty much anything they want, and not what it was really intended for.
The money will be used to pay for staff time, busses to shuttle the seniors, videotapes during the bus rides, office supplies, books, shirts for participants, admissions tickets, etc.
How can a city that has an average median household income more than twice the income of any other city in the county? Because, "seniors are presumed to be low-to-moderate income with a majority on a fixed income." PRESUMED... I would presume that with over double the average household income, these seniors are probably making more in retirement than most of the working class in the county makes working, yet WE are funding THEM. It's disgusting.
The officials of Parkland should be ashamed of themselves as should the rich seniors taking the dole when they don't really need it. It amounts to the rich stealing from the poor and it's yet another abuse and waste of the tax dollars of every hard working American.
It's about time we start doing something about things like this. We need to start voting people out of office that are responsible for wasting our hard earned dollars. I'm tired of working every day just to have the federal government take my money and throw it down the drain like this. Enough is enough.
Maybe it's time to start voting Libertarian...
My thoughts and opinions...
I guess I have been looking for an outlet for my thoughts, opinions and a good place to vent my frustrations once in a while so that is what this blog will be. More or less my day to day observations of what's happening in my area and elsewhere. I hope it's at least a little interesting to somebody out there and if you are reading this, thanks for stopping by. And stay tuned...
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