Happy to Pay Taxes

There was a tornado in South Minneapolis last Wednesday. Thankfully, no one was injured, but there was tremendous property damage. The television crews were out talking to those affected. “I was never so happy to pay taxes,” stated one of the affected property owners. City records show that city crews were dispatched within five minutes of the first 911 call. They were on hand immediately to start with the clean up. Other property owners shared that city police were on the scene and challenged people who were on roofs and on private property. They asked them, “do you have permission to be here?” Since many property owners were away from home at the time of the storm, it was refreshing to see “the government” was in place to protect their interests.

This is all in a day’s work for local government employees. These people do not work for free. This is the service bought with our tax dollars. Local government is often times called “hidden government” for good reason. Most of us do not get hit with a tornado and the good work these people do is “hidden”. We don’t need them very often, but when we do, we are “happy to pay taxes” so we can enjoy the service. end