When is enough, enough?

Last year we defeated the Tunnel and Pike Hike, but government does not seem to get it. Rather than make our lives less expensive in the form of less tolls, our Governor is finding a way to make tolls more acceptable all over Massachusetts. Under the guise of saving the state money in toll worker jobs, Deval Patrick is seeking a toll czar to oversee his new plan for electronic tolling on the Pike. Perhaps this method of toll collecting will keep traffic flowing on the Pike, but more importantly, it forces the state to continue breaking the promise of the "temporary" nature of tolls on the Pike.

In recent years, the Beacon Hill Machine has been trying to find a way to add tolls to more highways in Massachusetts, such as on route 93. One of the strongest arguments against adding tolls on route 93 is the increased traffic congestion, especially during rush hour commutes, which commuters cannot afford. If the Machine gets it way with this new electronic tolling, then added traffic congestion will not be a problem, paving the way for tolls all over the Massachusetts roadways.

When is enough, enough? The easier we make it for government to tax us, the more they will tax us. The Machine getting one-step closer to a mileage tax. When it comes to the roadways, we will have tolls, gas taxes, mileage taxes, and excise taxes not to mention license, registration fees and sticker fees.

We are on our way to having government literally sitting on our lap in our own driver's seat. We cannot let the unique opportunity we have this year to elect conservatives to the State House. We need those that believe in smaller government, lower taxes and less government spending in office and if we failed to succeed then the crushing tax burden of today will be remembered as the good old days.

I say enough is enough to business as usual on Beacon Hill. I do not want increased government expansion into our lives. We need less state spending and lower taxes. If government focused on creating a business friendly climate the revenue collected from the new businesses will flow into the state's coffers.

Rather than finding ways to make life more expensive thereby guaranteeing businesses will not grow in Massachusetts, we need to change our representation on Beacon Hill. It starts with each of you getting involved in republican campaigns this year. Candidates need your help. We need volunteers and yes, we need your financial contributions so we can reach the voters. With all of us working together this year, come November 2nd, the Beacon Hill Machine will not know what hit it. To get involved, you can visit my website for my state representative campaign at www.karafratto.com.