This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Get A Traffic Ticket Lately?

Do You Control Taxes or do They Control You?

Thank you City of Marietta, I had gone many years without a traffic ticket but got a surprise in the mail today. Like all of you, I think that I am a great driver and the first to criticize other drivers who don’t show the proper etiquette or knowledge of the rules of the road. Perhaps that superior attitude needed a reality check and I just got one in the mail.

My “Notice of Violation” has two very clear pictures of my car, license plate, and bicycle rack. Obviously, I didn’t come to a complete stop at Windy Hill Rd and Cobb Pkwy on a red light before turning right. On the one hand, I am a little embarrassed. On the other hand, I am proud that Marietta has found a high tech way to supplement our under-funded and understaffed police force.

Why are our police understaffed? Remember when Bill Clinton was running for President and said that, if elected, he would put 100,000 more police on the job. I didn’t understand exactly what that meant then but now I have a better idea. Low quality politicians have found a way to get elected in States and cities for years. It works better than the old way when all you had to do was call your opponent a commie. Nowadays, politicians just promise tax cuts, then more tax cuts, then more tax cuts.

Find out what's happening in South Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Citizens could no more refuse un-needed tax cuts, than they could say no to more potato chips or peanuts. Tax cuts are like sugar, fat, and salt rolled into one seductive package. Its Pavlovian politics, people react automatically to certain stimuli. When you see an available tax deduction, you take it. The thought that your “quality” public school system may no longer be “quality” never crossed your mind when you took that senior school tax deduction that you didn’t need and never voted for.

First came tax cuts, and then came the reduction or elimination of services. Our low quality politicians replied by saying, “What else can we do? There is a financial crisis (that we created) and the only tool available is service reduction (austerity) and by the way, if you vote for me again, I’ll reduce your taxes some more.” The conversation about reducing the number of police and teachers came after the election and after taxes had been reduced again.

Find out what's happening in South Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Citizens complain about their elected officials who don’t represent the electorate and rarely have forums in their districts, but that politician only has to say “Lower Taxes” to get re-elected.

Remember in the movie Goodfellas how that guy in prison used a razor blade to slice garlic so thin that you could see through it? Former Cobb Commission Chair Bill Byrne used the same method with tax cuts. He’d reduce the millage rate a teeny tiny amount again and again. Then claim to be the tax cutting champion that you should vote for. It worked. Even amazingly thin, almost invisible tax cuts would get votes.

America needed police protection, our local officials wouldn’t pay for it, and Bill Clinton was the only adult in the room. Aside from messing around, he was a great president – think balanced budget and near elimination of the national debt. Also, he didn’t have that “gotta start a big unfunded war” itch.

I would have preferred a visible policeman parked at that intersection. Reducing temptation is the best place to start. On the other hand, pictures of the offense leave no room for debate and frees up a policeperson to do other things. Libertarians might say that big brother should not be watching us all the time. They would be happy if all intersections in America had no lights, or stop signs, so drivers could self-determine the rules of the road and use their legally concealed Glock’s under their seat to arbitrate any arguments.

The Lance Lamberton types and Taxpayers groups argue for less waste, fraud, and abuse, which means lower taxes, fewer police and teachers, and the ultra-vague term “individual responsibility”. They will never recommend that citizens man-up, be responsible citizens, act like adults, and pay for what they use.

After many years of increases in the cost of living and no pay raises for Cobb police, the county commission voted to give our police a pay raise last year. I thank the majority on the commission for acting like adults (finally). East Cobb’s Commissioner Bob Ott showed he had less heart than the Grinch and voted no.

Remember Sandy Hook Elementary School

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?