Have you ever noticed how many figures government spits out in hopes that we will believe them? There are figures for inflation, cost of living, unemployment, consumer price index, gross domestic product and many others. Since my wife and I live on a fixed income and have not had any pay increases the past couple of years, at the end of each month it is obvious that we have less money left in our bank account than in past years. Could it be government has lied to us about the true rate of inflation and cost of living increases we used to receive?

The problem I have with the inflation rate is that it does not contain the volatile prices of food and energy, which affect each and every one of us on a daily basis. Maine’s average price for gasoline is $3.40 a gallon, which certainly puts a dent in many wallets. Even fresh vegetables like tomatoes have increased so fast that convenience stores either have to increase the prices of their sandwiches and take the grief from customers or they have to absorb most of the price hike. The cost of a case of tomatoes has nearly doubled in just a few months. If one compares the prices of commodities like copper, corn, iron and aluminum over the past several years they will notice that their prices, on average, have doubled.

It might not seem like a big deal but what is used for a cost of living increase for Social Security recipients? Oh that’s right, inflation and the consumer price index. If those figures are greatly lowered by omitting volatile prices of food and energy, some economists say that Social Security benefits would have doubled or tripled over the past several years. Some say the actual inflation rate has averaged 15 percent in some recent years. This means Washington is keeping our money for themselves.

I read a recent article in a national paper which stated approximately 60 percent of those who are unemployed do not receive unemployment benefits. Of course this would include those who were working under the table, walked away from their job or committed a criminal offense. But at the same time it means the actual unemployment rate is more than double what the government claims it is.

On a somewhat related note, the fighting between the Democrats and Republicans in Congress over our national budget might cause the federal government to shut down by the time this column comes out. That means many government workers and those on Social Security or veterans disability payments have the possibility of having their checks delayed. Want to guess who still gets a paycheck while many Americans wouldn’t? Try the president and members of Congress.

And if you don’t think government is spending enough of your money, here’s some proposed spending by the Windham Parks and Recreation Department, which I call Windham Parks and Wrecks. How about a $1,500 riding lawn mower for Dundee Park? Gee, and I was naive to think we already had a town crew that mowed town property. Does this mean that Public Safety will also need one and then hire someone to mow? Then Parks and Rec wants to spend $40,000 on a van replacement and $10,000 for a used pickup truck. Why does this department need another van when the present one makes 79 day trips per year? I have to guess that they haven’t heard of the Regional Transportation Program. Oops, almost forgot to add a request of $50-80,000 for a new playground. I wonder if the school system has any of those?

For anyone who knows about establishments like the Rock and Roll Diner or Five Guys Burger and Fries, don’t expect them to fight their way into Windham. The Windham Planning Board has recommended design standards that would prevent those establishments from building something which makes them unique by requiring “New England” style buildings without chrome or metallic colors. I will expand on this subject in the future because it appears local developers want to create their own businesses in Windham. The sad part is Windham’s Comprehensive Master Plan dictates the only commercial zone should be located in North Windham. Why is spot zoning spreading down Route 302?

Lane Hiltunen, of Windham, can be contacted at [email protected].