Salem is slowly drowning in sea of personnel costs. Selectmen are considering laying off staff. Roads are getting a bit better but far too many are in disrepair and getting worse. The Fire Department and Public Works Department have equipment that is falling apart. One truck is an antique 1976 model.
And what are among the Board of Selectman's top priorities? An unenforceable sign regulation for one. There are illegal signs all over Salem. I counted at least 12 on one road. All the town is doing is punishing the good citizens who follow the rules and rewarding the scoffers. Why not on occasion just pick the signs that unscrupulous people put out? That is what we do anyway. That would allow responsible people to excessive their First Amendment Rights and since we pick them up from time to time anyway, it would cost us no more money. When I asked a couple of Selectmen about this their reply "Sue the town!"
Another nutty crusade is against storage trailers that you could find only if you know beforehand where it is. Why not just regulate storage trailers that are obvious from the street? The Town went apoplectic over a trailer storing emergency supplies. No one had any idea it was there for many years. You could not see it from the street even with the most sophisticated equipment.
And Salem is typical. The State and Feds are worse. Does anyone else think that government has gotten too big and that it has lost all sense of priorities?
