It amazes me how many people who are benefiting from the stimulus money and extra unemployment packages are complaining about what Washington is doing. It would seem to me that this would be the last group to complain. There very well being at this moment is dependent on Washington.

I have found in politics, people often don’t go with self interest, they go with some idea of loyalty and their sense of their social level. Some of the most vocal critics I have heard of health insurance reform are people who are paying a fortune for it or have none. These people hear how horrible our government is treating us and are ready to vote against people in government who are trying to take action. 

It seems to me that many of the people like politicians do little other than collect gifts from lobbyists and enter bills given them by lobbyists. For a good example of this, look at our General Assembly.

The same people go back year after year. Do they go back with new ideas or plans? No. Do they think or plan ahead? I don’t think so.

They only react when pushed into a corner. How so many wise men and women can do so little and still do a poor job of it I will never know. But what amazes me even more is that we vote to send them back. It would appear to me that it would be in our best interest to regularly change who is down there in hopes of getting someone who would look out for us.

This may be the same group that wants lower taxes and more services, I’m not sure. This group was the first one to shock me.

I thought everyone could see the connection between paying taxes and getting services in return. Pity me.

The size of the group out there that doesn’t see this connection is amazingly large. I can see seeking better efficiency or more streamlined services. However, those who want huge tax cuts and increased services, in my mind, just don’t have a clue.

The main assumption that I have always worked on is if you want something, then you should be willing to pay for it. Apparently this assumption doesn’t go very far. I have noticed people in Logansport howling at the thought of paying for trash and recycling collection at the same time they are huge fans of reducing local property taxes.

People, it seems, continually want more while someone else pays the bill. Mayor Fincher, who is trying to deal with this dilemma, is a center of criticism from all sides. Taxes are too high. We shouldn’t have to pay for services. We deserve it, find a way to pay for it.

I’m glad this viewpoint doesn’t represent everyone. However, the sad fact is that it represents a huge number of people.

This idea of paying little and getting a lot, I believe, we brought on ourselves. Everyone saw the huge tax cuts for the rich during Bush II and now they want a piece of the pie. Few bother to find out how Bush II financed these tax cuts. Informed people, of course, know that he did it by running up the largest deficit to that point in history. Today people are wanting tax cuts at the same time they want jobs or longer unemployment benefits. Amazingly, everyone wants that ride on easy street.

As long as this viewpoint is held by a large part of our population and the state inflicts severe limits on the power of local governments to raise money, we are going to have citizen unrest and displeasure.

Our elected local officials have been set up by the state to be whipping boys. If the population is angry with the local officials, then perhaps they will leave the incompetents at the state level alone may be the view. Amazing what we will fall for, isn’t it?

One of the most despised groups in government is our General Assembly, yet every election we return the same people to office.

Those are a few things I find amazing. What do you think?

• Gordon Southern is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com.