Here is my essay..

I am trying this new..I am a 26 year old returning to college for the first time since I graduated..so bear with me I am just trying to get some help to refresh my skills so that I don't flunk English 101 for my children's sake...

thanks


In the last few years, Alabama has fallen in a state of crisis. The government system will declare a huge deficit on October 1st of 2003. Politicians have caused this mess, yet they decided that the taxpayers should fix it. Although Governor Bob Riley's 1.2 billion dollar tax increase sounds good to some people, Alabama tax payers, that plan to vote yes on September 9th, are foolish to think that this would fix the state's problems and not cause troubles in their own households.
The tax law changes the Governor put together for a state vote will be catastrophic to many hardworking individuals. It will put a strain on working class families that already live on a shoestring budget. He is planning to cut out, altogether, deductions on federal, Social Security, and Medicare taxes just to start with and the turn around and raise property taxes; thus, raising mortgage payments for all Alabama residents. All the while, knowing that doing all of this will eat up all the tax breaks that the federal government has just implemented for Americans. Eventually, taxes will be put on everything from vending machines to motor oil. Where would the taxation eventually stop?
The proposed tax increase will inevitably cause more chaos on the state's already staggering budget disaster. Families at the bottom of the middle class will drop into even lower income situations, which would in turn make them in a position to have to ask the state of Alabama for help. The politicians also plan to change the number of school days from 175 to 180; meaning more money will be needed to be able to run all the school systems for 5 more days a year. Also, contained in the tax agenda is an increase of taxes on companies and businesses; which will ensure that they will leave the state causing the unemployment rates to soar, and more people needing help from tax dollars that did not need it before. How would that help the situation at hand?
Politicians are the cause of the massive deficit with their over spending and carelessness of our hard earned dollars. How would giving them more money to squander improve our state's predicament? In 2002 alone, the state school system threw away over 807 million dollars on non-educational services according to the C.S.E. (Citizens for a Sound Economy). They are saying our school systems are in jeopardy; then why wasn't that money used for more necessary things such as books, desks, computers, etc. Over the last nine years, government spending for growth has increased by 39% and now they want Alabamians to puck up the bill for their remodeling jobs. They are not even going to mark this new money they are sasking for with anywhere specific to go towards. The politicians will decide where it will go and for what purpose as they see fit.
The real problems that exist in the system will not even be addressed. Some of these problems would be the certain state funded programs that people abuse and take advantage of everyday. Programs like Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Welfare are used inappropriately and frivolously. These tax dollars, that you and I earned, are being given to people that do not even try to make a living. For example, teens and young mothers are getting medical expenses and food expenses paid for while they carry and have children that they cannot even possibly afford to even raise. All of this without ever having to pay one cent of it back to the people that gave them the money. They view these programs as the lottery. Their winning ticket is to have as many children as they can so they can continue to draw more money from the state; while individuals that struggle to get by and work tirelessly get nothing for the family's needs or efforts. No one minds helping a neighbor in a time of need, but people do not like to be taken advantage of or mistreated. Other unnecessary programs and dollars misspent are the Junior Miss Pageants that get $54,340 just so some little girl can be crowned the most beautiful; and then the taxpayers pay $323,613 for the governor's mansion so that he can have a nicer home to live in, unlike some residents of this state. These dollars are being wasted for no purpose. Do you not think better use could have come of this money?
Bottom line, as long as Montgomery thinks it is fine to spend our tax money that we entrust to them for anything they get the whim to do with it, Alabama will be stuck in a financial crisis and burden that we cannot begin to carry. In other words, there would be no greater purpose served in giving the politicians another 1.2 billion dollars to throw to the wind. In turn, think about all these things that have been presented to you and when you go to the polls on September 9th, vote no to the corruption of your money.


Thanks for reading this and any help with grammar or content is very appreciated...since I am way out of practice...