by Roman Y

Created on: April 26, 2010   Last Updated: April 27, 2010

"Should taxpayers have a bigger say in local government spending?"  This is a very good question and the one that most citizens disregard.  Taxpayers should definitely have a say in local government spending.  Ask yourselves the following questions:

Do I have free healthcare?  Are roads in my neighborhood fixed?  Are schools in my neighborhood adequate?  Will government take care of me when I retire?  Does Government protect me?  Is government being fair? The post important of all, is government being efficient?

I think No will be the answer for most of the above for many people.  With pretty high taxes (yes, do include cigarette tax, gasoline tax, state/local/fed tax, property taxes, sales tax...) are we really getting what we are paying for?  No free health insurance, many roads are a mess and we did not get any protection from the crisis that we have experienced over the past two or so years. 

Yes, the government is trying to blame someone (e.g. Wall Street) for all that has happened, however blaming is not protecting.  Yes, the government is trying to overhaul the healthcare system, but we have not been told how, who and when will have to pay for it and this is very material information that must be disclosed before any transaction takes place (speaking in the Wall Street slang). 

It seems that Government has double standards.  It wants others to serve and protect the public, but it does not always do it itself.  It goes after those who do not pay taxes, but many in the offices and previous nominees have 'made mistakes' on their tax returns. 

Many government officials are being convicted of bribes and corruption.  The irony is that we, the taxpayers, are paying the government to do that job.  All that the Washington seems to care about is political games and power.

Look, here is a perfect example.  Recently the government has been trying to give shareholders of companies voice on what salaries are paid, what companies should and should not do and how big can they get.  However, we the taxpayers do not have the same type of voice. 

We speak but the government either dismisses, fudges data or misinterprets our requests.  I think taxpayers should be viewed as shareholders of the company with the same voice as current government is currently pushing to give them.  After all we provide capital to this company (the Government), we chose the Board of Directors (Congress) and we chose the CEO (the President). 

However then, we just let the company go about its business.  The difference is that when times are great actual companies pay a dividend to shareholders, taxpayers do not get a bigger check from the government.  When times are bad, shareholders get pummeled, so do the shareholders.  Where is the fairness here?  Government just made many $billions on the bailout that was given to companies using taxpayers' funds.  Where is our cut?

The current government is taking steps to make sure that shareholders of companies and the wider population is not being taken for a ride by Wall Street, however everyone is still being taken for a ride by the Government.  It is time these double standards end. 

It is time Government stops wasting our money on investigating companies that make money for the government and shareholders (Goldman Sachs) and concentrate on those that have not done their job (Citigroup, Freddie Mac, General Motors...).  It is time Government cleans up its own act before telling others what to do.  Or we'll have no option but to vote for a different Boards of Directors and the CEO.

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