Ever had that sneaky feeling that someone is watching you? I know plenty of people who have had that feeling but with the invention of spy satellites and Al Gore’s invention of the Internet, there are more people watching you and, unknown to some of us, that includes the government. I have to believe that it is probably every level of government, which includes the municipal government here in Windham. Someone came in front of the Windham Town Council on the meeting of June 9 complaining that there were some in town hall using Google Earth in order to collect fees for permits and such that were not paid. The only problem that I have with that is that I believe him.

Windham’s town manager, Tony Plante, did his typical song and dance just like he did when I fought the implementation of the personal property tax in Windham years ago. That means he either knows nothing of what’s happening in the town hall he runs or he’s not quite telling all he knows. That’s not my decision to make and one that I doubt the Windham town councilors care to make for obvious reasons that I will not go into because there’s too much love going on there.

I must admit that I do use Google Earth and other such websites because of the convenience of locating a destination that either my wife or I have never been to. The problem is that sometimes the information viewed is obsolete or so old it is no longer relevant. For instance, I have viewed my own property and have noticed vehicles in my yard that I have not had for several years. I have no clue (well, that’s a stretch) as to how many workers in Windham’s town hall are using Google Earth to extract even more money from us but there’s one thing that is blatantly obvious. If someone in any of Windham’s municipal departments has time to sit at a computer in order to collect even more money from us with data that is more than likely outdated, then it’s time we reduce our town’s work force. I will even suggest that it starts with the management of the town of Windham.

Supposedly our town’s legal firm has given the opinion that the town is not breaking the terms of using Google Earth in order to stoop to an even lower level to take more money from us. Google does not allow municipal governments to use its overhead maps to set or collect taxes. I understand that some in town hall may look at Google Earth and then visit the property they viewed. They may not be breaking the law but it has convinced me that morals and government no longer coexist where I reside.

Windham property owners just received a hike in their property taxes from the town, RSU-14 and Cumberland County, which is something that should be done away with. At this point, only God knows what the Maine Legislature will do to us in order to balance the state budget but I am willing to bet it will be balanced with our wallets. There’re whispers about raising the gasoline tax and the minimum wage as well. Maybe we will be lucky and get some of the revenue sharing funds from the state but the town will bury them in somebody’s desk to be used for something else in the future without any tax relief to those of us who own property in Windham.

But I finish with a heads-up on a proposed increase in the permit fees from Windham’s Code Enforcement Office, and some are quite hefty. There’s a $75 application fee just to get each permit. No permit, no money back. Ouch, that hurts somebody’s wallet. Or maybe someone in Windham’s town hall needs more computers to use Google Earth on.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham wonders what else government is snooping on in our lives.