By Billy McCullers
Lake Okeechobee News reader
OKEECHOBEE — As the decision to vote YES on Amendment 3 looms, government officials all across Florida are apparently hard at work, if such a thing exists, figuring out every possible way to squeeze another dollar out of the people they supposedly represent.
Impact fees? Raise them.
Permit fees? Raise them.
Service fees? Raise them.
Anything else they can possibly slap a fee on? Raise that too.
Hell, if somebody figures out how to put a fee on the fee, I’m sure it’ll be on an agenda somewhere next Tuesday.
At some point you have to ask…
ARE THESE PEOPLE EVEN LISTENING?
People are telling you they are tired of being taxed to death.
They are telling you government costs too much.
They are telling you their property taxes are too high.
They are telling you groceries, insurance, electricity, housing and practically everything else costs too damn much.
And government’s response?
WE NEED MORE MONEY.
That is exactly why this movement is gaining steam.
You cannot spend years ignoring people who are begging for relief, then act shocked when those same people finally decide to take matters into their own hands at the ballot box.
And instead of seeing the writing on the wall and saying, “Maybe we should tighten our belts a little,” local governments are scrambling around looking for new ways to replace revenue they haven’t even lost yet.
That ought to piss people off.
Because it tells you everything you need to know about the mindset.
The question is never:
“How can we make government cost less?”
It’s always:
“How can we get the money somewhere else?”
THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
Government has gotten entirely too comfortable treating taxpayers like an endless supply of money.
And frankly, our local governments are filled with people who seem completely incapable of siding WITH THE PEOPLE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT.
At some point, REPRESENTATIVE is supposed to mean something.
You represent the people.
Not the bureaucracy.
Not the budget.
Not the building department.
Not the next pet project.
THE PEOPLE.
And the people are telling you they’ve had enough.
Instead of listening, we get more fees, more assessments, more increases, more excuses and more lectures about all the terrible things that are supposedly going to happen if government is ever forced to live with a little less.
Give me a break.
Name one thing government does consistently well.
I’ll wait…
The old “I’m from the government and I’m here to help” joke has almost lost its humor.
We’re getting into Mater from Cars territory now.
“Don’t eat the pistachio ice cream. It has turned.”
That’s about where I am with trusting government to suddenly become concerned about the taxpayer.
And watching politicians panic over the possibility that taxpayers might finally get some meaningful relief reminds me of the paperboy in Better Off Dead.
“I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!”
Except government doesn’t want two dollars.
They want your property taxes.
They want the impact fee.
They want the permit fee.
They want the assessment.
They want the application fee.
They want the inspection fee.
They want the administrative fee.
And if you manage to make it home with anything left in your pocket, apparently they haven’t finished the fee schedule yet.
Meanwhile, REAL PEOPLE are struggling.
That seems to get lost somewhere between the staff recommendation and the unanimous vote.
Families are paying more for groceries.
More for insurance.
More for electricity.
More for housing.
More for vehicles.
More for practically everything it takes to live a normal life.
So when taxpayers finally stand up and say ENOUGH, maybe government should listen instead of immediately figuring out another way to get into their pockets.
For once, I’d like to hear something besides gaslighting and fear tactics.
I’d like to hear an elected official say:
“The people we represent are struggling. Maybe government should learn to live with less before asking them to live with less.”
That shouldn’t be a revolutionary statement.
That should be common sense.
And if your first reaction to meaningful tax relief is figuring out how to replace every penny before the taxpayers even get to keep it, maybe you’ve forgotten exactly who you work for.
After two movie quotes and a whole lot of brutal reality, I’ll leave it here.
STOP INCREASING THE BURDEN ON YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
Stop looking at taxpayers like an ATM.
Stop pretending every government expense is sacred.
Stop telling people the world is going to end if government has to tighten its belt.
READ THE ROOM.
People are struggling.
People are pissed.
And every time you add another fee, another assessment or another tax increase, you are making the argument for tax reform better than its supporters ever could.
At this point, it’s not funny anymore.
It’s gross.
