It's been 10 years since county of Lake employees had a two-day-a-month work reduction. Did any one come to our rescue?

At one time, the county was able to keep the property taxes. Now the state mandates property tax transfers, the county general fund is only allowed to keep about 20 percent. The county has to live on what is left after the federal- and state-mandated programs are paid. Lake County doesn't have big industry. Our county is an agriculture community which relies heavily on tourism to augment our taxes.

How can we get reimbursed for the taxes you have taken from us?

It's frustrating to see the newspaper headlines – state workers take a two-day-a-month work reduction and reduced services to Californian residents. No sympathy for state employees – that's old news in Lake County. It is to bad that the governor can't balance the state budget as well as Lake County has done in past.

Tell me how would you manage you budget if someone took 80 percent of your income and told you how you must spend what is left? How would you feed your family and provide a roof over their head and pay your bills?

You understand what it is like to be told how to spend your available funds. Consider taking some of the states monies and giving it back to the rural communities that depend on taxes for their major source of income. Can you justify taking so much and not ever reducing state-mandated requirements?

If you agree, write your governor.

Larry Fabisch lives in Nice.

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