Chatham Republicans will hold their next meeting Monday, July 12th, at 7 p.m. in the Chatham Community Center. All fiscal conservatives are welcome to attend to discuss the upcoming elections and what we can do to make goverments return to sane spending practices. This will involve electing candidates at national, state and local levels who believe in private enterprise, individual responsibility and taxpayer priorities.

We welcome folks from our surrounding towns such as Harwich, Brewster and Orleans because this fall we have common cause.

Governments at all levels are spending too much, taxing too much and taking on way too much debt.

The national debt is on track to reach $20 trillion in just a few years, which will be more than 100% of GDP. When unfunded liabilities for Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid are taken into account, the national debt is a staggering $130 trillion. And the Obamacare deficits aren't even included.

State debt is growing twice as fast as revenues.

And on Cape Cod county officials are pushing towns with nitrogen problems in their coastal waters to spend billions of dollars on Big City Sewer systems to take care of these problems when there are far less expensive ways to do the job. But county officials disparage such alternatives, refusing to take taxpayer concerns into account. There are county elections this fall, which often get overlooked, but are important.

In Chatham the Town Manager decided Big City Sewer was for him. As a result, he is driving debt up ten-fold, from about $30 million to over $300 million. Debt service on the property tax now is about $2.7 million per year, but it will soar to an estimated $13-$14 million a year to pay for his expensive -- and unnecessary -- Big City Sewer, urged on and applauded by Barnstable County officials. Property tax charges for sewer debt service will crowd out spending for ordinary operations and needed capital projects for decades. It will also crowd out homeowners who won't be able to pay the freight and who won't get value for their homes when they try to sell because of the looming sewer debt.

This can't go on. But it will, if citizens don't act.

Join us Monday next.