When is spending enough?
In these trying times of financial uncertainty we find ourselves struggling to realign our financial priorities. Have we become so accustom to getting what we want when we want it or have we become so bound to our own little thiefdoms? It appears the answer to that question may be both. The silver lining to a recessed economy is that it shines the light on spending. Notice I didn’t say wasteful spending because that is in the eye of the beholder.
As I look over the landscape of the budgeting process it gets really difficult to isolate a particular item that needs more funds or is more absurd with how those funds are spent. Just in the sleepy little town of Gilford the list is endless. Compensation for town employees, sports programs, outside activities, buildings and grounds and even donated money. There just isn’t enough space available to pine on about all these things. As the population of students decline in the Gilford school system there is an average of only 13 students for every teacher yet we still here calls to add more teachers. With a ratio that low, we should have the best mentored children on the planet but as I've come to learn in gilford, they'll do nothing without getting a stipend for it!
If we truly are in the most difficult financial times of our lifetimes, then why is it that government doesn’t seem to get it? While we all struggle to keep our jobs, forgoing raises and contributing less or nothing to our retirement, why do government increases live on? Somehow we should feel good about the fact that the teachers will live with just a 3% raise and contribute a small portion to their health insurance. Do you know anyone today that gets free retirement, dental coverage, paid sick days or the money, paid for college courses, and their jobs are protected by tenure?
