New Jersey town spends over $17,000 to defend $5 fee it charged resident .. and loses

Today's no-wonder-your-state's-broke story comes from the Garden State, where the town of Bridgewater spent more than $14,000 in legal fees to defend a $5 fee it charged resident Tom Coulter for a CD of a town council meeting. The town lost its fight, and had to pony up another $3,500 for Mr. Coulter's legal fees, along with a $4.04 refund for the overcharge on the CD.

Read it here. So, $17,504.04 of the taxpayers money down the tubes. Hey, it's not like New Jersey is in financial straits, or anything, right? Obviously, $17K is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions in the hole New Jersey's government at all levels is in, but it speaks to the kind of contempt that their politicians have for their taxpayers money, that they would spend waste that kind of money over a $5 matter.

But for the most part that's representative of socialist governments, always happy to waste other people's hard-earned money. Then act surprised when the money runs out.