Politicians, bureaucrats irresponsible

I do not claim to be the smartest one in Augusta. There are some things I can't figure out.

If a light bulb goes out in Augusta-Richmond County, City Administrator Fred Russell says we have to raise taxes to pay for it. Now the problem: If Augusta is broke, the state of Georgia is broke and the federal government is broke, where does all this so-called grant money come from to do all this great planning and expansion officials say they want to do?

Every time you hear anything, they say the Richmond County Sheriff's Office is understaffed and there is no money to expand it. Why? Isn't the safety of Richmond County important? Apparently not.

I have a question for the city fathers: When was the last year the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center broke even? I did not say "made money." I said "broke even." I do not remember a year it did. How long would a shrewd businessman keep an operation going when it lost money? Probably after the second year he would ax it and start with something else. So why should taxpayers have to keep funneling money into the center to continually lose money? Something does not add up.

With all the above being broke as claimed, why should taxpayers be saddled with all these great expansions that the city fathers want to do? I think it is time that they get down to actual business. ...

One thing that I think would help straighten some of our mess out is term limits, all way from the lowest office here to the highest in Washington, D.C. I know professional politicians do not like that idea because they do not want to give up their lofty positions. And the elitists in Washington will not put themselves under the same medical program they want to ram down our throats.

It is time to go to the polls and vote all incumbents out.

Don Matthews

Augusta