This Is Why Your Taxes Went Up In Monroe & Chester

On a hotter, drier planet, how your Town manages your fund balance could be the difference between life and death. But only one of two local Town Supervisors got that memo.

Happy Holidays. I see Santa Claus brought a gift to every New Yorker this week. Starting January 1st, the minimum wage for non-tip-receiving workers will increase by 50 cents.

No. That's not a joke. It's going from $15 to $15.50. Isn't life in this Second Gilded Age grand? 50 cents is all you're getting.

Meanwhile, since the election in November, Vice President Elon Musk's net worth has increased by 70 billion dollars. Not a bad return on investment, considering he spent "only" 277 million dollars to help get President Trump elected to a second term. That, by the way, is the most one person spent in American history on a presidential election. (Also, something to remember: A billion is a thousand million. So what Musk spent on the 2024 election is barely a dent in what he made since November. In fact, it's only 0.395714286%.)

Why am I telling you this? Despite the productivity of the American worker increasing since the 1970s, wages have not. Had it done so, you'd be looking at something…