Budget and the national economy

It is time again for the town to work on the annual budget. This will be for the 2009 calendar year.
We are in the process for negotiating a price for fire department coverage with Buck Creek Fire dept.
We have been advised by the town financial adviser that the budget for next year will include a 4 percent overall increase in the total. I have said before and stand behind it that "tax and spend" government does not work. I am going to work on possible ways to lower the proposed budget but according to the town we have to ask for an increase in case the state cuts some levels once the property value levels are finalized. I will oppose this budget if I can not get the levels down to what I feel are more realistic amounts. My predessor was instrumental in purchasing 325k worth of street cleaning equipment but made no provisions for labor, fuel or maintainence to run said equipment and so it has sat idle all summer. These kinds of things are what I want to eliminate from happening in the future.

We are progressing forward with the east sanitary sewer interceptor which will help secure some commercial growth. I will take a suggestion from Governer Mitch Daniels and tell it like it is. We have to have some commercial to offset our residential property taxes or we will be in big trouble. Commerical tax bases are at a higher level per sqft than residential but we will also need to frequent any businesses that move her so that it becomes advantages for them to stay and be good citizens.

We need to get a state constitutional amendment caping residential property tax levels to keep them from going back up as they have in the past here in Indiana. The only way for that to happen is to have the residents of the state vote to have it added. In order for that to happen it has to be put on the ballot by the state general assembly and they have to vote to have it put there. So I am asking everyone to call thier state representatives and senators, and voice our desire to have it become a proposal on a state ballot.

As for the national economy;
The trend in this years elections show that americans believe taxing the rich and big business is the way to go and have elected the person they feel can accomplish this. I could not disagree more. Large and small businesses are the ones who currently employ us all and have the control. They are not about to allow their bottom line to be reduced by taxes. They can and likely will just lay off employees and use what was their wages to pay the taxes. That will obviuosly increase unemployment levels in this country which will require those who still have a job to pay more in taxes to take care of those who are unemployed.
President elect Obama has little chance of succeding with his plans and will risk deepening and lengthening the recession. If corporations have to pay more taxes and it comes out of their bottom line they will look less favorable to investors which will cause their stock prices to drop.
When Senator Obama was running he stated that no one who makes less than 250k a year will see their taxes go up. This level simply will not work. As I see it, the total income of the richest 5% of americans together can not pay for his programs and now the cut off has been lowered to, I think, around 120k and he is not in office yet.