IT WILL TAKE SACRIFICES to cut our heavy tax burden. But as anyone in politics will tell you, whenever people insist they know what programs government should cut first, you can be sure it won’t be anything that inconveniences them.
Federal, state and local officials talk about consolidating government activities to reduce duplication of services, and some recent steps taken here suggest that this approach might benefit taxpayers. A couple of years ago, for example, the state made a hefty contribution toward new county snowplows, and the county now plows some state roads in a deal that saves money on equipment and labor.