coconut patch

it's been a very long time since the govt has been for the people and by the people. the govt is only thinking of the numbers and lining their pockets instead of us.

totally agree. and they wonder why we have riots and violence. this is horrible. they need to get their heads from their butts and think about whats important to the U.S not their pockets. we suffer greatly so they can be comfortable. sooo wrong.

Thanks Ol'Goat -
A few years ago, the city council of my little town of 20,000 had approval from the taxpayers to erect a multi-million dollar city building and civic center. The new buildings are G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S ! Especially, the city building with beautiful Austin limestone exterior, open 2-story pentagon-shaped-grand-pillared entry, marbled floors, they bore no expense — at the taxpayer's expense. Now, I don't believe the vote count because I voted against it and I would assume most people in our small town did due to the abundance of job losses, foreclosure properties in the area, and the ongoing reports about fraud and misappropriation of city funds. The city employees did need extra work space, but if you saw the extravaganza that was erected in my little town you would agree with me hands down, and granted the interest rates have never been lower, but WE DIDN'T NEED IT! Nevertheless, some high-salaried city official will have his name engraved on that pale-stoned monument forever, and all the lower working class taxpayers in my little town (which is our new class description based on the last censor) will, according to the mil rates by city, continue to suffer the highest property tax increases in the state to pay for its superior name sake until the day we die here or move from here. Whhhoooo -I almost didn't get that all out! Okay, when do I get paid my $1.98?

Mercy

Mercy, Mercy,

You give us many points to consider. Appropriations to make our town's goverment buildings and community projects have been excessive in recent years. The status of the current economy has reduced tax revenue to where perfectly paved and painted streets and curbs border vacant and abandoned houses that are boarded up and neglected, waiting only for foreclosure on leins to tear them down. Demolishion to begin when the city finds MORE revenue to pay for the wrecking ball.

Our government's plans for the future have outgrown the taxpayer's ability to pay and I think an income freeze throughout the government work force is the only way to earn the return of respect of the public.

Thank you kindly for your comments, Mercy. Your check for $1.98 is in the mail. Hee hee

reminds me of our golden gate bridge. we needed a new bridge over the little creek that flows through our town. all we needed was something simple we could drive over, instead they decided to build the golden gate bridge for a couple of million dollars. we may be a tourist town, but those of us who live here don't want our tax money going to extravagence. when the old elementary school closed, there was a fight to keep it as a historic building. instead, they built a huge, ugly office building, that over 2 decades later still remains largely vacant. not to mention the huge, overpriced retirement community they built right next to the creek.

Well, don't get me started! lol With the budget deficit,our governor proposes a bunch of cuts, and guess where a majority of the cuts are coming from? The elderly, mentally ill, and the low-income! THings such as reduce senior citizen services funding by 20%, reduce subsidided child care by 12%, elminate state food assistance by $13.9 million, which interprets as 11,400 few people PER MONTH who will NOT qualify for food assistance (stamps), close 2 state hospitals for dementia and brain injury clients, which shuts out 52 long term patients and puts them into the community, reduce non-medicaid funding for mental health services by 8,000 clients per month!, suspends service for nearly 1,000 families for respite care and other services for peple with developmental disabilities, Elminiates child welfare programs by $6.9 million - Terminates specialist child welfare program such as recieving care centers, foster care assesment, continuum of care, sex abuse regognition training, children's advocacy centers, adoption support recruitment and street you. Eliminates state fudning for educational coordinators. Approximately 5,700 children recieve these services annually!.........Shall I go on???!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrr! Seriously, there are SIX pages of proposed cuts!! Of course, they have to be approved by Congress, but hey, it's not going to affect them or their pocketbooks, so why not? Little do they realized that YES it WILL affect them in the long run!! When the poor who have had thier basic health insurance taken away and don't qualify for food stamps any more, and those with mental illness who can no longer get their meds and/or services and have had thier group homes taken away with no where to go except for the streets, you just wait for violence to increase from those who are desparate, have no meds, no home, no therapy, and a mom or dad who can't feed thier kids, so they steal and resort to violence...then what? They are going to have to put the money back right where they took it from AND THEN SOME!! Such idiots!!

Grrrrrrrrrrrr gee, thanks goat!! lol

I need to go for a walk to work off some steam! lol

Debbie

or is that the Senate for approval? lol either way, it's a friggen joke!

Ok, NOW I'm going for my walk!

how was the walk?

It was invigurating! lol I walked 4 miles - it was dark out when I got home! lol

Thanks everybody, especially DDNOS for jumping in on this discussion. It began when I was at the grocery store and noticed coconuts in the produce department. About 25 of them, each separately bound tightly in yellow fishnet baggies, the scars of their machete harvest plainly visible in their rough, sienna skins.

I was moved to post here immediately when I noticed the sign above the produce bin, "COCONUTS: $1.98 a piece". Now I have never been one to measure the true worth of things or of people by their monetary value, butt I knew it was time to let my friends here, speak out about money matters, their sense about spending and government involvement of our earnings..

Ya' know, it's refreshing, like I just got home from a four mile hike, too.

wondered where that came from. lol. that's highway robbery!!!!

Slik & Goat - I, totally, agree with you about adaptable re-use of abandoned buildings and preservation of historical buildings. Once the ground has been scraped, it leaves a permanment scar on mother earth - and our government needs to be environmentally wise too.

Debbie - It is a tragedy that so many aid programs have been terminated and/or reduced the amount of aid for families and individuals that have become dependent on those programs. Our leaders have long looked the other way and now money is thrown everywhere to put out all the fires. Our country is bankrupt. Lack of leadership accountability is to blame for this.

What can we do about it?

Mercy,

I think spending $1.98 for a coconut is outrageous!! That's why I posted here, my greatest access to the public forum.

The message to goverment is to STOP IMPRUDENT SPENDING that eventually damages the value of our labors. Handouts forever damage the fabric of what we all know is PERSONAL RESPONSIBLITY. Just BACK OFF and let us solve our own community problems. There are plenty of criminal matters for which government should concern itself.

And taxing the citizens increasingly for the errors of the elected wealthy who squander revenue unceasingly, is like a dog voraciously chewing a bone, smarting to find it is pain in his own leg that he devours. Huffffpt.

DAMN! That's enought to get me out of this chair and go to work! I'll have to back to you on this one! Huffffpt is right!