Commentary: Taxpayer Abuses

Taxpayer Abuses

2025 is an exciting year as the US Tightens and Glasgow Spends

By Jeff Jobe, Publisher 

 

Elon Musk is sure to be the most known man in the world, second only to Donald Trump. They have come to power because of their business accomplishments, personal wealth and initial media appeal.

He is about to expose the most corrupt part of our country, the underbelly of bureaucracy. They are either dirty, beat into submission or simply clock watchers putting in their time.

However, I want to be clear what he or anyone says should be quantified and this is the most difficult aspect of uncovering truth.

An opinion is certainly interesting and may be based on valuable experiences, but it can also be grounded in hate and personal failures.

I myself have had to deal with the nastiness of dirty politicians and the bureaucrats they protect.

Knowing the facts is not in itself enough because they will fight and attempt to discredit you.

I used to think the nastiest people to expose are politicians, but over the years I have come to realize the bureaucrats in which politicians own and unethical media are the true enemies.

A good story based in truth can get rid of an inept or dirty politician during the next election cycle or perhaps encourage a retirement.  We have seen numerous examples of this locally because of our work.

Taking on these entrenched government workers being paid full salaries and not having the accountability to work in-person at their respective work stations was a genius first move for Musk. Payroll will drop drastically.

In a news article by Allyson Dix in this issue, we see a quote from TVA’s Media Senior Specialist Adam May, “TVA has been in telework status since President Donald Trump’s order in March 2020. This applies to TVA employees whose work does not require them to report to a facility. Since then, employees have reported to work at a plant, work site, or home office.”

Let this sink in….  The Tennessee Valley Authority (partnering with GEPB) has been on the Pandemic Work Schedule since March 2020. This will soon be 5-years paid full salary and not have to return to the office schedule prior to the pandemic. We will keep you posted to see if this was a perk they provided themselves only at TVA or if was extended to our local electric provider.

In the early 1990’s, I was promoted to manage the newspaper loading docks and distribution operation in Rochester, NY. This was a heavy union work environment with a large payroll and even bigger independent contractor base.

I was relocated from the Louisville Courier-Journal to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, given a salary increase and new title.

My first day in town was November 26 and it snowed 17.5 inches over night. This was the most grueling experience associated with weather in my entire life.

I went in at 3:00 a.m. long before others arrived and stayed until after the last bundle of newspapers left the dock.  I met many good hard working people, and made friends as I helped them load their vehicles.

However, I began to realize there was nowhere near the amount of people coming in each morning compared to the number of checks being issued and mailed.

I would have been destroyed to voice such a concern even with me being there daily and doing head counts. It was a true dilemma; effectively manage the company budget, get the job done and not destroy my relationship with the men and women on the docks doing their jobs.

I decided to place a memorandum inside the December 15th payroll checks indicating I would hold the January 15 payroll checks and pass them out at the dock personally. I explained this would be my way of meeting everyone.

I also shared I would be discussing bonus potential individually at that time. This kept those doing the job loyal, but more importantly, it gave the managers the opportunity to submit resignations prior to this time and avoid the humiliation and possible termination because of payroll fraud.

This one management move had our circulation and production payroll drop by $250K.

Like Musk’s experiences to some very small degree, I have done the same for each newspaper I have purchased over the years. Their payrolls indicated a certain number of employees at the time of buying the paper, yet by the time we coordinated our first meeting and asked for people to come into the office, we would lose in excess of 30% of them.

Each time I lost people from payrolls there were others there doing the work and it gave me the opportunity to reward and recognize those who truly care. Musk will find them as well and these people are the ones in which our country’s future depends.

Musk’s challenge will be the entrenched government employees and political appointees who brag about the number of administrations they have endured, the misguided politicians and media who protect them.

Sadly, if Trump and Musk are not protected by those of us who defend truth and supported by the American public, they will be gone before the bureaucrats are removed.

I have seen this locally as well; while our newspaper ran headlines such as “Part-time politicians getting Full-time benefits”, “Rain-tax”, “Stolen Horses”, “Infotricity”, “Black Wall”, “Avoided Pension Costs”, and “Ignored Payroll Taxes”, we had politicians and other media outlets defending them by attacking our work.

I will assure you the messenger will be protected by truth as we have seen here locally with early retirements, failed re-elections and bankrupt fake news providers.

Yet without true strength transitioning into these positions we also recognize increasing and bloated budget deficits, new and higher taxes.

Of all the communities we serve with news, this administration of Glasgow is the most eager to tax and spend I have witnessed in my tenure.

The city bureaucrats have lived through three one-term mayors and only time will tell if the huge budgets, increased city debt and tax burdens places on all of us living, working, eating and drinking in the city will justify having our first second-term mayor in 20-years.

Thank you for making our company the fastest growing media company in South Central Kentucky and the Barren County Progress the 1st Place in General Excellence of all Kentucky newspapers.