With the administration scrambling to meet their cash flow shortfall by raising taxes — yes those fees are taxes — us, ‘mosimosi”, are wondering why we should be the ones to pay for the government’s lack of guts and vision to do what is necessary to make ends meet.

When we can’t afford to pay our basics, guess what we do? Yep, we eat less, use less gas, electricity & water, and if need be, catch a bus. Our telephone conversations are short & sweet too. Our donations to family faalavelaves, the faifeau and church are scrutinized. Honestly, we even sleep less — from worry about meeting our daily nut. In other words, anything and everything that costs money is examined and priorities are set to allow us to meet a standard of living we work our proverbial butts off to enjoy. GONG!

We, mosimosi, do not get our living expenses subsidized by the government. We don't get to use government vehicles to go to & from work or drop & pick up our kids or spouses, go to church and faalavelaves, or shopping — and we certainly do not get to have our gas bills paid for by the government.

Nor do we get to sit inside air conditioned offices paid for with our taxes, offering services that are self-perpetuated — because really, how much should the cost of materials and equipment and the services provided by government personnel be—just to obtain a business license?

The ASG payroll costs nearly $4 million, every two weeks, with just over 4,500 employees, according to the latest Department of Human Resources report.

And don’t forget: last year, the Fono asked for a raise for their office allowances. Guess who will pay for that, if it happens? And, let’s not even talk about LBJ Medical Center and their financial woes… or those super-alias the government wants to subsidize for our fishermen. GONG!

How will we pay for it all then? asks the government. GONG!

Here’s a simple concept: Live within your means… cuz unlike the Bruno Mars song, “Billionaire”, wanting to be a “billionaire so freakin’ bad” doesn’t cut it.

“Buy all of the things I never had… So everybody that I love can have a couple bucks, And not a single tummy around me would know what hungry was, Eating good sleeping soundly, I know we all have a similar dream, Go in your pocket pull out your wallet, And put it in the air and sing… I wanna be a billionaire so freakin’ bad… “ GONG!

("Billionaire" is track #2 on the album Lazarus. It was written by Lawrence, Philip /Mccoy, Travis / Levine, Ari / Mars, Bruno)