Dear Gov. Patrick, Please Stop Wasting My Tax Money

If you are reading this, I will presume that you have also taken notice of other stories and comments on the Seekonk Patch. The School Committee and Board of Selectmen are trying to work through budget shortfalls. The fixed cost of government (fuel, utilities, etc. …) rises faster than we can collect taxes, and the Commonwealth does not seem to be forthcoming with funds for municipalities.

This is all indicative of the poor economy. It is a tough spot to be in, but as New Englanders invariably seem to do, we persevere. We adapt, we adjust, and we overcome.

This by itself would normally do little to catch my attention. In fact, it has become my norm, but today, an article on Boston.com by Noah Bierman has highlighted raises given to 17 transportation executives. Now, please correct me if I’m wrong, but are we not currently talking of privatizing the school bus system, laying off teachers, and not giving raises to town employees?

Why does the Patrick administration think it is ok to choke town budgets, pay for benefits of citizens to non-citizens, and continue to reward the status quo on Beacon Hill. This behavior is unacceptable. A spokesperson has stated that the cost of the raises will be offset by savings of not filling empty positions. Great, but imagine how much more we would have for education, law enforcement and capital projects if we kept the savings from the empty jobs AND didn’t offer raises.

Times are tough. Citizens everywhere are making sacrifices. We drive less, we spend less on ourselves, we save less, but, we continue to pay our taxes. All I ask is that we use them wisely.