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Texas : Features : Columns : Letters From North America :

A billion here, a billion there...

by Peary Perry
Peary Perry

Some congressman once said something like… “A billion here, a billion there and pretty soon you’re talking real money”.

I’m convinced that’s the way they see it. Several years ago I found a glitch in the system here in our state that was allowing 20-30 million a year to go uncollected. I took my discovery to the attention of the state agency and was promptly told… “You know in the over all scheme of things….20-30 million a year just isn’t worth that much to us.”

My question is this…if 20-30 million a year isn’t much, then why do they worry so much about the piddling amounts I owe them from time to time? Why not just let me alone and forget anything I might owe?

I think it is the consensus of just about everyone that I know that if the government would stop wasting so much money we (us taxpayers) would have to pay less to keep the government afloat. I could always use a few more bucks in my pocket each month, how about you?

So, here’s another wonderful way to spend and waste more taxpayer dollars.

This month the government is going to hold another terror drill in three parts of the country. The scenario is that three fictional ‘dirty’ bombs will be exploded and will shut down vital transportation arteries. No problem so far, right?

I mean we all need to plan for the bad things that could happen. Then we need to take action to prevent the kinds of foul-ups that occur as a result of these exercises. Isn’t that the reason we do them in the first place? Kind of a test… you did in school….you remember, you studied and took a practice test to see how well you would perform when the real thing came along.

Well, try this on for size. These terror drills cost somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty five million each year and have since the year 2000. I’m ok with that. Makes a lot of sense to me. Better to be safe than sorry.

But wait, there’s more. You would think that before they start this year’s exercise, they would have a review of last years exercise so they could correct any mistakes… right?

Well, as I’ve said before, logic and government thinking is somewhat of an oxymoron. You see, they don’t have the report for the exercise they did last year; in 2006…in fact they don’t have the report for the exercise they did in 2005. I suppose it doesn’t really matter since 25-30 million a year really isn’t much money in the overall scheme of things, is it?

I mean why should I be worried about something like this, is this any of my business? I think so. I think anyone will agree that the US government is not, I repeat is not, a profitable business enterprise. They don’t make a profit, they just spend money.

We make the money and give it to them. Not willingly, but we do it anyway, because that’s how it works.

It only stands to reason that they should try and be decent stewards of what we send over each and every year. But then again, that takes logic and it seems the folks inside of the beltway are not always the most logical are they?

I just wonder who if anyone, ever looks at any of these programs like the one I just described and asked the powers that be, why is this allowed to happen?

If someone came out with that kind of a platform and was running for president, I guarantee you one thing…

They would get my vote.

© Peary Perry
Letters From North America

October 10, 2007 column
Syndicated weekly in 80 newspapers
Comments go to pperry@austin.rr.com


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