What Soft Tyranny Looks Like

Nassau County, Long Island is a shining example of what some are referring to as a "soft tyranny" environment.  It is called "soft" implying it is not as obvious as "hard" tyranny, in that we often associate the word "tyranny" with dictators and despots.    Hard tyranny is blatant and indisputable, where "soft" tyranny is cloaked and obscure and foisted upon an unwitting and unknowing public.  We can certainly feel it's affects, but can't quite put our finger on the pulse of it.  We question why we just can't seem to make ends meet.  We still work, we most often have two salaries coming into our households, yet at the end of every month there seems to be very little discretionary cash left, let alone enough to put away for the future.  

I recently received a notification for an "alarm permit" from the Nassau County Police Department, stating that my permit had expired and I was required to renew it.  I phoned County Executive Ed Mangano and inquired what this was about.  I didn't get a very informative answer, so the person I was speaking with forwarded my call onto the Nassau County Alarm Permit Department where I proceeded to make my argument that we the people are straddled enough with superfluous fees, permit costs, surcharges, etc. and how does having a permit for an alarm in your home make any sense.  If having an alarm in your home (which is, in fact, a crime deterrent) helps alleviate crime, why would we be penalized for lessening the burden of the NCPD?  After getting nowhere, I decided to write to my Senator, my Representative, and the County Executive, and I'm here to tell you that I got not one response from any of them.  
I was told by Nassau County that if I did not pay this "bogus" [my emphasis] fee, which is merely another attempt by Nassau County to extort monies from the populace, that I would be put on a "No Response" list.  As far as I am concerned you pay for the police department's services in your property tax.  That is their duty to serve and protect the people within their district.   Can you imagine - a "No Response" list!?!  How dare they!  I am attaching a copy of that very notice to this article so you can see what your County will do to you if you don't succumb to their petty regulatory tactics.  

So with that in mind, I began to do a little research into some of the hidden costs of living in Nassau County.  Do you know that there are approximately 434 traffic violations on the books in Nassau?  434!  I found that number astounding and staggering.  And that is just in Nassau alone.

And do you know that in certain areas you need permits to have a block party, to have a yard/garage sale, to have a deck in your own backyard, to hold a raffle/bingo night, to empty your swimming pool, yes...you read that right, to empty your swimming pool.  I began to see a pattern here.  The list of departments and their surcharges, fees, permit, licenses, charges was endless and burdensome.  But it impacts us clandestinely, and some are deeply hidden within our property taxes, so very often we don't overtly feel their affects until we realize that "it's just too expensive to live on Long Island anymore."  
I haven't even touched on sewer permits, dumping permits, electrical permits, fire permits, it was just too much to list.  How any business operates on L.I. is a mystery to me.  

The point I am making is that Long Islanders have placed themselves at the mercy of a governing body that shows no mercy to its constituents.  At every turn, they are passing ordinances voted upon by a city council and without the public's knowledge.  We all know that Nassau's fiscal situation is not a good one, so where do you think they are going to get the money to continue their lucrative slush funds?  From you, that's where.  They will squeeze you until they can't anymore.  Until the well has run dry, and if you don't abide by their rules, well then you are a "Violator" and subject to fine, imprisonment or both.  
We, the people, should not be held to standards that our own government is immune from.  When Governor Cuomo pays his back taxes of approximately $10,000, when Charlie Rangel pays his back taxes for his multiple properties he forgot he owned, when Geithner conveniently forgot to pay his almost $17,000 tax bill - that's all okay.  But if the 'little people' don't pay one single dollar of their property tax, I'd like to see what would happen.  I believe I know.