By Samuel Strait, Reporter at Large – July 16, 2021

With inflation on the rise, closing on seven percent in June alone,
where will Americans go to keep up?  Looks like the Federal Government
has an answer for you.  With the impending passage of an explosion in
new spending, $4,100,000,000,000 plus an additional $1,700,000,000,000 oh how
federal government legislators like big numbers, nearly $6,000,000,000,000
the Democrats in the Congress are riding to the rescue.  Of course this
is all borrowed money, that needs to be paid back eventually, likely to
the tune of $12,000,000,000,000 including interest, no need to worry as in
six months of the new administration our national debt will approach
$35,000,000,000,000.  How’s that for an accomplishment?  It really does not
end there as inflation will likely add significantly to that number as
the dollar takes a negative plunge as well.

Of course not to be be out done, the Democrats in the California State
Legislature are busy making sure that when taxes raise at the federal
level, California can be assured of a similar movement of raising taxes
at the State level to pay for the Governor’s recent gifts to some of the
State’s citizens as well as a growing number of those that are not. 
Seems payment to Californians as part of the Federal “American Rescue
Plan” will pay up to $300 per child 0-5 and $250 6-17 per month to help
pay some of the impending tax increases through at least December. 
Where would we be without the “benign” assistance of our governing
bodies.  Maybe not nearly as far in debt as Democrats would like us to
be in.

Naturally the delivery from the grasping clutches of our State and
Federal governments did not go unnoticed by our local dictators, as
continued raises in pay might be in jeopardy without local attention. 
Already, County, City, the Harbor and now the CFPD have seen to their
respective payroll increases with new taxes purported to be for “OUR
BENEFIT”.  With increases in recycling costs, the DNSWMA has seen fit to
raise their rates, quite possibly seeing the way recently to fatten that
move with yet another.  The local school district has been seen  to look
at two, yes two mechanisms to fatten their budget.  $47,000,000 in a
local purposed bond measure for 2022, and, if that was not enough an
increase in a local development fee, for a District that is shrinking,
not growing.  Go figure.  Lets be reminded of the recent purchase of the
District’s “New” Health and Human Services provider building on Marshal
Street.  Guess the services provided by the County’s Health and Human
Services falls short of what is expected at the woefully under funded
school district which wishes to tap into the largess of Public excess.

So, here we are now, six months into the current federal administration
under Joe Biden, not much change in governance at the State level except
increasing crazy, and the constant grasping for more money at the local
level, can we honestly say we are better off?  Can we say that our
dollars reach as far as they did last December?  What will the future
hold as we careen down this rock strewn path of ever increasing wasteful
spending, increasing inflation and meaningless government over reach? 
Have we had enough yet?