The Big Money Grab

The American people are under siege. Not from Al qaeda or the Mexican drug cartels, we are being extorted by our governments; federal, state and local. The budget crisis facing states and cities across the country is well known but the solutions being crafted by local politicians would make La Cosa Nostra jealous. The mobsters in this scenario are the local politicians who send the police forces out to shake down motorist in any way they can.

Drive through a local suburb and you're likely to be pulled over for the most mundane excuse and slapped with a $100 fine or more. Cities have always exercised their right to utilize their "de facto" taxing power in writing traffic tickets when strapped for cash however this practice is spiraling out of control. Everything from car repairs and dry cleaning to personal training and party clowns are being targeted for new taxes. However, the shaking down of unsuspecting motorist and shoppers by police is outrageous. One of the main reasons for the state budget crisis is the inverted tax code. As residents of Ohio or any state, why should 30% of our tax money go to the feds? Most state tax rates are around 8-10% with federal grants making up the remainder of their budgets for roads and schools etc-for which they must peddle influence in order to get. The truth is the federal government does not need that much money to function-if they stuck to their original purposes like defense, and infrastructure. According to a recent USA today article, while states and municipalities are faced with huge budget deficits and layoffs, the federal governments is not only hiring but the pay of government workers is increasing. One does not have to be an economist to figure out that this is screwy. If they wanted to help the states with their budget deficits they would shrink the size of the federal government and allow states the keep more of their money. If you drain the swamp, the reptiles will flee.