* Wake Up Sleepy Voters

Sent to me from someone who wants to be anonymous.

Sometimes I wonder if those who don't vote or don't register to vote understand how much of their hard earned income is wasted by the gross mismanagement and misuse of the tax dollars we all are forced to 'pony up'.

Property Taxes, part of your rent, if you don't own property AND part of the price you pay for everything you buy, goods and services, 'cause the businesses you buy from pay the same or greater taxes than you do.

Sales taxes of all kinds.

Income taxes, both state and federal. (opps, and city) (oops again, street taxes too)

Licenses, Fees, Fines, Permits, etc. (also passed on to the consumers)

Utility taxes, in addition to the sales taxes, which juice your utility bills.

Mystery taxes you may or may not see, and couldn't know what they're for anyway.

What's the calculation now, something like 40% - 45% of our GROSS income is taken from us in taxes.

Every year we work from January 1st until mid May and ALL of our income earned during that time goes directly into the pockets of some government agency.

Granted, many things that government uses our tax dollars for are beneficial to us all. Many, however, are not.

Yet, year after year, decade after decade, there still seems to be a steady 70% - 80% of our fellow citizens who either don't vote or don't even bother to register. That means 70% - 80% of our neighbors don't even know who our Alderman is.

Our 'elected officials' pay lip service to 'getting more people to register', and only make efforts to do so that benefit their particular political party.

WAKE UP, WAKE UP, SLEEPY VOTERS! Our fates are in our own hands.