SoCo Magazine - May 2008 - (Page 45) If America is a land where the streets are paved with gold, the glitter may be drying up. ✯ Left page continued from page 20 for education, human services, public safety, arts and culture, environmental protection, and historic preservation trickles down to the states, which trickle it down in ever-dwindling amounts to cities and towns, which must augment the resulting funds with other taxes and overrides in order to make do—or do without. (Exactly how much is “little” money? The Massachusetts Cultural Council, for example, awarded Bristol County arts and cultural organizations $356,670 for FY08, a piddling amount compared to the estimated $481 billion we will spend this year on defense.) The answer to whether or not American tax money should be spent on special interest groups that provide important services and infrastructure here at home, on American soil, for hard-working Americans, is yes, it should. A closer look shows that such expenditures help Americans thrive collectively. More money should be dedicated to such services, not less. ✯ Right page continued from page 21 and low unemployment. But the way he has spent tax-payer dollars like a drunken sailor on holiday in a Shanghai opium den is the sin that’s hardest to forgive him for. As is always the case, the politicians won’t fix a problem unless their job depends on it. That means that it’s up to the American public to fix the system. If we vote tax-andspend politicians out of office and replace them with disciplined leaders, then we’ll be able to get government spending under control. If not, then we have no one but ourselves to blame. And it will only get worse. They say that a junkie has to hit bottom before he can sober up. Let’s hope Uncle Sam hits bottom soon, or else he’ll take us all down with him. ✯ A La Carte Catering Making everyday occasions special & special occasions unforgettable. M ay 2 0 0 8 | s o co m a g azi ne . i nfo | 45 http://kitchenviews.com/soco http://www.alacartechefs.com http://www.alacartechefs.com http://www.alacartechefs.com http://socomagazine.info
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