On this Labor Day let us remember that it is our money, the product of our labor, that our government is spending whenever they issue debt and increase our taxes.
County Judge Ricardo Samaniego has hoarded more of our tax dollars than any of his predecessors, going right back to the establishment of El Paso County in 1850.
He has voted for $894.4 million in new spending in the last two years alone.
He just voted for a $137 tax increase on the average-priced home.
He has voted twice to increase his own salary, now earning $152,700 plus benefits, 45.3% more than when he assumed office in January 2019.
He has voted for certificates of obligation and tax anticipation notes, bypassing the voting public.
He has voted for $1 million for the design of the Debt Plaza, which comes with a price tag of $412 million plus $6-7 million in yearly operations and maintenance.
He led the effort to shut down businesses in the County during Covid even though there were loopholes for big developers and construction companies.
He is the loyal servant of local billionaires Woody Hunt and Paul Foster and is always willing to screw the taxpayers to advance his own career.
There will be at least two Republicans running against him this coming election cycle, but what we really need is a fiscally conservative Democrat like Brian Kennedy to primary him in March.
Who will step up to the plate?