I have come to the conclusion that government at all levels isn’t going to stop until all of our money is taken from us. Then government can afford to give us what they want, which will be different from what we need.

If that’s not scary enough, here comes the United Nations, which more than likely will want everything the United States government has.

Looking at the proposed Windham school and municipal budgets for the next fiscal year is scary enough if those figures survive their budget processes and go out to the voters to be approved. I noticed that the Windham Town Council’s Finance Committee, which is made up of three members of the council, has posted its schedule on the town’s website and I hope that citizens watch.

Right now the combined budget proposals in Windham could have a serious impact on our wallets. The school budget proposes an increase of over 4 percent while the municipal proposal is 6.6 percent along with a preliminary budget increase of 13.7 percent if everything is approved. I know that there are plenty of Windham citizens who depend on Social Security benefits that recently received a 1.7 percent increase. Of course Cumberland County is going to steal more from us as well the Portland Water District, which is proposing a residential increase of 3.51 percent. What’s peculiar about the PWD proposed increase in water rates is that the government rate would increase 4.62 percent. After all, the government has a secured base to take money from. And they jail you if you don’t comply.

Then along comes the state of Maine and God only knows what they will take from us and I’m not only writing about money here. The governor’s budget proposes a decrease in income taxes and increasing and broadening the sales tax, which I have heard is really a $166 million or so budget increase. I don’t believe the bull oozing from under the doors of the State House in Augusta that this is somehow tax relief. Then there’s the good old fable of municipal revenue sharing, which is a story that deserves its own paragraph in this column.

I suppose that municipal revenue sharing began because some in Augusta actually felt guilty when they started stealing our money after they implemented the sales tax in Maine. On the surface it certainly appeared to be tax relief for Maine’s municipalities but in the end I believe it did nothing but give even more money for those municipalities to spend. Budget proposals in Windham have either decreased or eliminated the revenue sharing funds while officials have stated revenue sharing funds could be used to alleviate Windham’s tax levy. If I have ever noticed anything about the Windham school and municipal budgets, it’s that money goes into the budget and none reappears in my wallet. I also believe the same for gimmicks like the homestead exemption because the town is going to collect what it wants for its budget.

But if the state of Maine no longer wants to share its loot with its municipalities, I have to believe it’s high time for the city and town clerks to stop collecting any monies that go to Augusta. I highly doubt it but maybe if it costs the state government even more money to hire people to take our money, there might be a slight possibility that it will share some of its loot with municipal governments. But it is my firm belief that our once-great nation has forgotten its roots, which began by fighting taxation without representation.

What I have to do is end this column with another thought on our state government. There is a bill being proposed to stop citizens’ petitions against any wildlife regulations. Please remember it is our right to petition our government and I consider anyone who opposes that right is a Communist, pure and simple. I take that right to heart. Our right to petition our government should never be attacked.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham believes that citizens of Maine will continue to pay increased taxes while losing more of their constitutional rights.