OK, not real pain, but, rather, the kind of angst one feels when one contemplates one's property tax bill when one lives in a county seat. I moved back to New Jersey about 15 years ago, and, since that time, a rallying cry of almost every politician seeking state office has been "lower the property tax burden". Christie Whitman went a step further and called for lowering the extra burden borne by citizens of the state's county seats by sharing some of the associated costs with the rest of the county's citizens. I'm still waiting.
The problem with taxes is that there are so many of us now and we put such a huge strain on the public infrastructure that it costs big bucks just to keep the thing functioning, much less functioning particularly well. I like the fact that Somerville picks up the garbage and the leaves and brush from my yard. I like seeing the cop car cruise past the house every now and then. I like knowing the fire station is less than a 1/2 mile away...and that there is not likely to be much traffic impeding their arrival should it every be necessary. I like the idea that our schools are educating the generation that will care for me in my dotage. But, all of this cost money.
This is almost an intractable problem for any politician. I wish our new governor lots of luck, but I'm not going to be holding my breath waiting for "tax relief" from Trenton.
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