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“Whoever said money doesn’t grow from trees obviously has never sold weed.”

Unknown

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I remember years ago when I asked where government got its money and the answer was from the government money trees. Of course I was smart enough to know that wasn’t really the case but I guess I was dumb enough not to know that eventually the government would be picking my pockets, too.

The government grew bigger and needed even more money trees but unfortunately chopped down the ones they had to get that cash into their coffers. Suddenly everyone who paid taxes became the new government money tree.

Even the town of Windham never seems to have enough money to spend for what it wants. Recently, the town councilors approved spending for a needs assessment or something like that in order to look at what the police and fire departments need because the two chiefs are retiring soon. First, I must comment that I am not sure if that is going to be as effective because when some employees were asked about their department, the outgoing chief was supposedly there. I know that Windham has had a history of retaliation, so I doubt anyone stood up to make any complaints about how things have been run. Second, and more importantly, with all the money the Windham taxpayers sacrifice to pay for the management of the town, I would hope to God that we have hired qualified people who can effectively run this town so for me there’s a good indicator that’s not true.

I haven’t seen many town councilors who have seriously committed themselves to making Windham any better. We have had a town manager that more or less runs everything and the majority of town councilors of the past have sat and enjoyed the ride. I call them rubberstampers because that’s all they’ve done. If that’s not bad enough, I now can see a town councilor or two that might be breaking council rules by being too involved in the daily business of our town, and that’s not good either.

I can see some ways to cut costs of running the town or state and yet when elected officials are asked about what they could cut, their only answer is the same question back in our face. Does that give a clue as to what should be cut?

I also wonder if the trees being slashed from the sides of River Road in Windham might have been money trees.

It’s not that things are any better in Augusta where stupidity gathers in mass under a dome. Mainers just paid dearly for a flawed study of welfare, and even the governor does not want to get our money back. Then, on the news all one sees are campaign advertisements promising a higher minimum wage and Social Security payments. The only problem with those theories is that we are going to pay for them in the end. I don’t know whether it was the Spruce budworm or if the state has a new herbicide, but the money trees have died in Augusta as well. Actually I can never quite figure out how the budget works in Augusta because it seems like there’s always a surprise budget surplus every month until the end of the state budget nears. Then panic sets in when someone notices a huge deficit. Oops, I must be correct and call it a structural gap, which is nothing like the gap between the ears of politicians.

I am sorry to report that all the money trees in Washington, D.C., have died or been carted away by politicians who left office in disgrace. It’s either that or maybe there’s a spreading insect invasion of carpetbaggers. It is disgusting that our elected officials in Congress continue to spend more money than the government has. It has been said that John Deere would not stand behind his manure spreaders. It’s high time we do the same to elected officials at all levels for the same reason.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham wonders why government didn’t go into the marijuana business. Hey, maybe it did.