Are You Better Off Now Than You Were Four Years Ago?

 The line, if memory serves me correctly, was spoken by Ronald Reagan during his campaign against Jimmy Carter for President. But what does it really mean? Can it mean many things to many people? What was the first thing that came to your mind when you read that line?

I always took it in its simplest form. And what I mean by that is this. When you, as a voter, look back and think about where you were four years ago and compare that time economically to the time right now, are times better for you or worse? Of course, when a President or a Governor asks that question, they are probably talking about finances. Are you, as a voter, spending more on groceries, car insurance, gasoline, and the like? Back when Reagan asked that question, it was in the latter part of Carter's failed policies, and inflation was double-digit range. Why, it was so bad that they even had a thing called the Misery Index. Granted, this was all before my time, but I read it somewhere.

But what happens when a local official asks the same question? Does it mean the same thing? Probably not because issues that were just talked about can't be controlled in the same way as they can by a President or a Governor. However, the question does have some meat in it in regards to local fees and local taxes. There are property taxes, local income taxes, and other taxes, like garbage pickup and such, depending on where you live. Local governments, in the form of city and county council boards, very much control local fees and local taxes. Fees can include trash pickup, licenses for different things like garage sales, golf carts, building and zoning, water and sewage rates, among other amenities, depending on where you live. Let's go one step further with the question at hand and let's focus on those amenities.

When I look at some of the other amenities and services that are maybe not rights, but when you live in a city or a county, as close as you are going to get. Some examples of these services are roads, streets, emergency services with police, fire, and ambulance, water, sewage, and other activities. As a citizen, there is a reasonable expectation to have these services provided through your local government. And these are basic services. Nothing listed in this paragraph is outlandish. You can't throw a swimming pool or a golf course into this list and call it a basic service because not everyone will use them. Everyone deserves protection, safety, water, and sewage.

Also, when you consider the above services, you have to measure the quality of them alongside the cost to the taxpayer. It is of no benefit to the taxpayer if clean water is offered if most people can't afford to pay for it. The same holds true for emergency services, also. It doesn't do any good to have a police department that is causing huge spikes in everyone's taxes each year. So far, I've focused on money and money only. But how about we take another step on the ladder in thinking about this issue.  

Let's talk about safety in general. What if your elected officials provide you with the water and emergency services needed to run a city or county, but there are problems with the quality of those services? I say that you not only have to be able to afford the services, no matter what they are, but you also have to be able to trust those services in EVERY aspect. What good is a full-staffed and paid-for police department or ample water if there are problems with the quality? 

Not only must we be able to trust our water, but we must be able to trust our police department. There used to be a time when we elected officials and, after they took office, we knew that we could trust them. Oh, sure, there were issues during some of their terms that would come up, and we would have to get involved. But that was rare. Now, not so much. It seems we have to watch every move they make. And don't even try to get much information out of them because everything is a secret. The only time you hear anything about transparency is when they are running for office. When someone runs and uses that word, ask them what their plan is to actually make transparency happen. 99% of the candidates do not have a plan. They just know that suckers who hear the word will agree and vote for them.

So. With all that being said, and you live in a city or county, 'Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago'? Is your water higher now than it was, and is it safe to drink? Have your trash rates gone up? Can you trust your police department and depend on them? Are you scared to drive after dark because they have a bad reputation? Do you think you are safe because you don't break the law and you trust their honesty? Only you can answer these questions, depending on where you live. If you live in Chicago, you may answer one way, but in a smaller city, you may answer another way.  

Hopefully, this blog will provoke you to think about how things should be.