[speaker001:] [Breathing].
[speaker002:] Are, are we paying too much in taxes, and are we getting what we pay for? What's your opinion?
[speaker001:] Well, it's kind of a broad subject, uh, I,
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] I think there are some areas where we, where we, uh, pretty well, you know, get our money's worth, but I, I also think there are a lot of areas [breathing] especially in, uh, big government, federal government, uh, where we're short changed. Uh, lot of money spent for, uh, things that are not used and, uh, I was, I was in the Air Force and I was at, there were, there was equipment at every base I was ever on that was just going to waste. It was just sitting and rusting and, you know, and [breathing],
[speaker002:] Okay. I, I tend to agree with you. When it comes to government spending, there are so many studies done that don't mean anything
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but we'll spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars on.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And it's nice to know something doesn't work or something doesn't exist, but, it could be put to more practical use.
[speaker001:] Yeah, and I, I think that, uh, [breathing] it's a, a tone of our times that politicians, uh, are into themselves more than they are into, you know, doing something worthwhile for the people they represent, which is really unfortunate.
[speaker002:] That is true. I agree with you in that area. Uh, I have a tendency to, I'm in, from Texas and I read, you know, how our politicians voted each week in the paper.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And it's, you know, it's interesting how the votes vary and what they ran on in platform
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] don't necessarily come true in their voting in the senate or Congress, whatever.
[speaker001:] And don't really respond to, uh, people who write them and call them and, uh, you know, unless they're in the limelight and under pressure [LAUGHTER] [breathing]. So, yeah, I think we get short changed on that.
[speaker002:] Right, that's very true. What, what state do you live in?
[speaker001:] Texas.
[speaker002:] Okay.
[speaker001:] That's,
[speaker002:] What do you think about Robin Hood?
[speaker001:] Well [breathing], I work for school district and, uh, it's, it has hurt us a lot. Uh, there has to be some way, I think, to equalize education opportunities. But, uh, you know, our, we, we tend to think, I think, e-, especially big government, tends to think that the solution to everything is to throw money at it. And I don't, you know, that's just not true. I don't think the, you know, I don't think money is going to take the place of intelligence or, uh, problem solving skills. Uh, I think there are, there are too many things that money can't [breathing], uh, that, that money can't buy that, that are important as far as education is concerned.
[speaker002:] That's true. What school district do you work for?
[speaker001:] Richardson.
[speaker002:] Okay. I work for Plano.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Great, okay.
[speaker002:] So, we're comparable.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] As a matter of fact, I just paid my Richardson taxes because I live in Richardson and supplemented the Robin Hoods very thoroughly, I think.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I think we've, uh,
[speaker002:] Our taxes went up tremendously.
[speaker001:] Yeah, we have got it on the line [LAUGHTER], don't we.
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] And it's not going to get any better. D-, you know, I mean, it's going up and up and up. Uh, I used to live in the Plano school district, and, uh, there was a, an organization, a taxpayers organization that, uh, finally communicated the message to the, I think to the people in Plano that, you know, we didn't want our taxes raised.
[speaker002:] Yes, I remember there was about four, five years ago.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] But, this, you know, this, uh, I think living in Richardson, we're kind of spoiled because I think we get, [throat clearing] we come closer to getting our money's worth as far as the city is concerned, I think [LAUGHTER] than probably any, any city in the country.
[speaker002:] Yes, well, did you read in the Dallas paper where they increased the teach-, the administrators' pay by thirty three percent
[speaker001:] Is that incredible?
[speaker002:] after they laid off all those teachers.
[speaker001:] That's, that's the biggest mess I've ever heard of. You know, how can you, how can you justify raising anybody's salary if you, you know, if you have to lay people off?
[speaker002:] Right. But, you know, I'm not going to complain because Plano got, we all got a pay raise this year.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] You all got a pay raise this year.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Is that correct?
[speaker001:] Well, yeah, I think the teachers d-, uh, did, and I don't know about administrators. I, I'm semiretired and I was, I was an administrator, so I, you know, I don't get a [LAUGHTER] raise anymore. I just,
[speaker002:] Okay [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] I, I work part-time and just get, uh, [lipsmack] [breathing], you know, my pay doesn't change.
[speaker002:] Are you on the early retirement?
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] Oh, are you enjoying it?
[speaker001:] Yes, very much. Uh, course, I, I still work two part-time jobs [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] So, it's not really total retirement.
[speaker002:] Well, it's interesting, you know, because when you look at what Richardson has done with the early retirement you,