Yo Joe! Knowing Is Half The Battle

It is a shell game that is for sure. There is talk of another attempt at the consumption tax for this state, which on paper, can be made to work, but in reality, it really does not cover all expenses. There have been several other proposals discussed for the near future, including more property tax relief for citizens, including getting rid of the inheritance tax. To me, this is a shift from the state to local government to ‘fend for yourself.’ This makes the state look really good, like they are cutting taxes and giving relief to taxpayers, but it is just a way of shifting the money from the left hand to the right hand.Yes, this proposal may give you relief from the state wanting money, but the city and county needs to make up short-falls and will have to raise fees, taxes, etc., to make ends meet. Don’t even get me started on school financing. The state has long tried to play the shell game with local districts in order to make districts survive on their own, but all it does is make smaller districts suffer all because larger districts (Omaha, Lincoln) can’t cut budgets.Playing the shell game is going to be very complicated as time wears on and I do not envy the commissioners, city council or school board members tasked with making decisions on what to keep and what to cut. Everyone wants gravel on their road, deputies and firemen at their front door immediately when needed, high standards for education for our kids and do not want to pay more each year for it.The great magic act we have in this country every election cycle is the politician that can cut budgets and maintain services. This is not possible in the sense politicians spin the scenario. Yes, you can feed 100 people with a single can of soup, just water it down and say it is soup. Does it taste good? Does it nourish? No, but I kept my promise the politician will say. How do we, as citizens, help in this matter? Read. Do the due diligence of looking into situations and scenarios. Ask questions. Read the newspaper, read online articles, listen to discussions on the radio, television and online. Gather as much information as you can on a topic so when the situation arises, the county, city, school, can count on citizens that are prepared. Prepared to step in and help, prepared to monitor and oversee the situation and most of all, question the situation.Double check sources. There is a lot of stuff floating around out there, make sure it is from a real source.Question policy makers and ask who, what, when, where, why and how?Like the old G.I. Joe series, knowing is half the battle. Informed citizens strengthen the city, the county, the state and the nation. As taxpayers, this is our city, state and country. Staying informed and asking questions is the ultimate form of checks and balances.If we, as citizens, establish to leaders that we are informed about the issues at hand, it forces transparency and keeps everyone on the same page on the issues that matter to everyone.

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