no incumbents for me, please - I've had enough

Today was an election day and the biggest item on the agenda was whether or not to allow our elected politicians to continue taking an extra 1% of our pay. Sure, on the face of it, we were voting on the continuation of our sales tax being 7% instead of 6% (the base 4% rate here in Georgia, plus an additional 1% and yet another 1%, which both seem permanently attached).
The upshot of it all is the extra 1% tax remains for another three years.
Oh, joy.
I know some of the funds will be used for worthwhile expenses, like repairing drainage problems and such. After all, the politicians will have to do so, won't they? Then they will have those good for the populace items to wave in front of us the NEXT time the "penny" tax comes up for a vote.
But they also have big-ticket boondoggles they intend to fund this time around. Does the city truly need a new civic center? I think not. The city needs smarter planners who can better utilize the resources we already have.
I guess someone's brother-in-law or cousin are needing the construction business.

My British former teacher, Cedric, sent these to me.
They would be jokes were they not true.
You'll see.


If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates.
~Jay Leno~

The problem with political jokes is they get elected.
~Henry Cate, VII~

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.
~Aesop~

If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these State of the Union speeches, there wouldn't be any inducement to go to heaven.
~Will Rogers~

Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.
~Nikita Khrushchev~

When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.
~Clarence Darrow~

Why pay money to have your family tree traced; go into politics and your opponents will do it for you.
~Author unknown~

Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel.
~John Quinton~

Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.
~Oscar Ameringer~

I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them.
~Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952~

A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country.
~ Tex Guinan~

I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
~Charles de Gaulle~

Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.
~Doug Larson~

death and taxes

Two things you cannot avoid: death and taxes. The latter is, of course, very top-of-mind as April 15th approaches, a grim reaper of one's finances, so to speak. How very nice that we're all getting a little something back in the form of the "Making Work Pay" incentive. Wow, the government is paying me $400 for working and contributing to the national treasury! Woohoo! That bit of smoke and mirrors is to distract from the $3456 paid for federal withholding and the $1805 paid to the Withholding Division at the Georgia Department of Revenue. And let us not forget the monies paid to Social Security and Medicare, neither of which I'll get to partake of for quite some few years yet.
Still, the situation could be a lot worse. I know family and friends who are benefiting from the government's social programs. Several are drawing Social Security, some are on disability or have been, some are drawing unemployment or have been, and quite a few are on the government-run health care programs of Medicare, Medicaid, or PeachCare. Several others I know are working for the city, county, or state government and so I like to think I'm helping pay their way in this world, too. Then there are those working at facilities which receive money from the state or federal government: hospitals, fire departments, universities, schools. Yes, indeed, those are MY tax dollars at work! So, don't be asking for a raise, 'cause I haven't seen such a thing in more than three years!
Then there's death. That topic reared its head tonight whilst enjoying an art show reception at Hospice Savannah this evening. A dear friend and I were enjoying the "Savannah Sightings" display, vibrant works featuring the trees of Savannah: oaks, pines, palms, and driftwood. Some of the pieces were especially beautiful to me and all were affordable. Where else could you find a framed, signed, original work of art for less than $400? The most expensive piece was still a good deal at $800.
So there we were, enjoying each other's company, fine art, and a nice glass of wine on a cool rainy evening. Nice! Then the talk turned more serious and I found myself talking about the approaching Mother's Day, which would mark the tenth one I've observed since Mama's death. Talking about that led on to this Father's Day being the second one without Daddy. Then... I found myself talking about Sam's death and his brother finding him, two days after his heart attack. And she told me about her sister finding her dad, two days after his heart attack. And then we were sharing the heartaches in our lives, the heartaches of knowing loved ones awaiting organ transplants.
Two things you cannot avoid: death and taxes. So many interpret that with respect to their own deaths. But I'm here to tell you, in unequivocal terms, that the "death" in the saying refers to those who leave this planet before you. Those deaths are a reminder that one's time of existence is a finite Quantity which should be filled with as much Quality of life as possible. Enjoy NOW those you hold dear.