Deborah Greene was last heard from in this county in a major way as a leader of the R.I.D. group (as in RID Ourselves of a New High School), who tried every body block they could think of to prevent the building of the new high school (officially opened by The Guv in a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday, despite Ms. Greene's best efforts). Before that, in her "No Zoning" crusade of 2001-2002, she rocked another hobby horse that lent itself to creative scare tactics.
She's baaack!
And going ballistic like it was 2002. What's got her all het up is the proposed quarter-cent hike in the sales tax. Un-shy in her opportunism, she's grabbed the "Tea Party" label to promote herself as our savior from unfair taxation. She's started her own Political Action Committee (PAC) and is soliciting money for print ads, bumperstickers -- the whole hyped-up, morally outraged, politically indignant schmeer.
All over 1/4 of a single cent more in sales tax.
It's the principle of the thing, though. Clearly.
If you give her PAC $50 or more to help memorialize her anti-tax crusade, you'll also have to divulge your name, address, employer, etc. for Ms. Greene's PAC filing reports. Just for comparison's sake, if the quarter-cent hike in sales taxes passes, you'll have to spend some $20,000 in retail purchases to add up $50 more in local sales tax.
Me? It'll take me many moons of frenzied retail buying to pay out that extra $50 in increased sales taxes, and I think I'd prefer it go to infrastructure improvements in Watauga County than to Ms. Greene's PAC.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Party Like It's 2002!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
Uh, Jerry, how does a rec center improve the infrastructure of Watauga County?
Uh, Jerry, how does a rec center improve the infrastructure of Watauga County?
How does it improve our economy when it requires a tax hike to pay for it? How does it benefit people that do not wish to use the facility? Why should they be forced to pay for others recreation? Wouldn't we be better off to spend this money on education, law enforcement, roads, or something else that benefits everyone if we decide to spend it at all?
JERRY: AS A PERSON OF SOME EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND, YOU AMAZE ME!!! EVIDENTLY YOU ARE NOT A PROPERTY OWNER OR CAN NOT SEE BEYOUND THE END OF YOUR NOSE. THIS TINY TAX VOTE AS YOU SEE IT, IS JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET IN WHAT IS TO APPEAR ON THE TAX BURDEN OF THE LAND OWNERS OF WATAUGA COUNTY.
THIS ELECTION IN AUGUST WILL COST THE TAX PAYERS WELL OVER $30,000.00
WHAT A WASTE!! WHY?? WOULD A VOTE IN NOV. NOT WORKED JUST AS WELL? IF THE TAX INCREASE IS PASSED, THIS SIMPLY PAVES THE WAY TO THE COUNCIL OF GOV. IN N.C TO SHOW THAT THE PEOPLE OF WATAUGA COUNTY APPROVE OF THE VAST AMOUNT OF DEBT THAT HAS ACCUMULATED AND ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR THE BORROWING, THAT JIM DEAL HAS DESIGNED. ANGRY!!
It improves our economy because it puts people back to work to build it and run it. It benefits everybody in terms of the overall health of the population and it reduces energy that might otherwise go to crime. Have you used our fire department? - You have paid for it. The rec center will benefit the community as a whole. That's like saying I have no kids - I should not have to pay for schools. The rec center would be considered a part of the county's infrastructure - much like a new park.
I usually don't respond to Anonymous posters, but this is too classic to skip:
"How does it benefit people that do not wish to use the facility? Why should they be forced to pay for others(sic) recreation? Wouldn't we be better off to spend this money on... roads?".
Roads, eh? Using all of them, are you??? ROFLMAO!
- Annual property taxes? About $700.00
- A gallon of gas to get to the Rec. Ctr.? About $2.75
- A person who thinks that money spent on roads, education and law enforcement is used by everyone? Priceless.
Mike D.
You had better get off the floor and think again.
Virtually everyone, directly and indirectly, benefits from roads, education, or law enforcement.
Anonymous,
Really? When was the last time you drove on Summit Street? Skyview Drive? Evergreen Lane? Hayes Street? Sunset Road?
Why would you approve of tax dollars being spent on roads you don't use while claiming that tax dollars should not be spent on a Rec. Ctr. because you won't use it?
Why should tax dollars be spent on the salary of a new police officer who you will never meet?
Why should a new computer go into Room 207 at the new high school when you will never set foot in that classroom?
MikeD apparently only wants the roads he uses to be repaired. It is no wonder he supports a rec center for his benefit that the rest of us has to pay for.
A recreation center benefits everyone by offering opportunities for everyone to meet, to learn new things, to socialize and to become healthier. In the same way, having a good school system or a good hospital makes the whole community a better place to live. A community with desirable facilities is a community where good people like to live and raise their families. Like it or not, we are a social species and either we work together to help everyone, or we all suffer.
Yeah! Party Like Its 2002
I love it Jerry. Glad I got your attention. A 1/4 cent here and 1/4 cent there - what the heck? Not so fast. Approval of the 1/4 cent will used to get loan approval for the projects through the local government commission. We will not be voting on the loans for the funds to complete these projects or at least I did not see that in the commissioners resolution. These funds go into the general fund and can spent on anything. Did anyone notice that the EDC that previously gave their blessing on spending the funds on recreation have come back wanting funds for water and sewer and gateway development down US 421? So, just how is this money going to actually be spent? Our current debt is over 400% of what it was 3 years ago. What the heck? We're in a recession. What the heck? The county employees have not gotten a raise in 3 years. What the heck? The old high school has not been sold. What the heck? The new high school costs almost $80,000,000 and counting (not including interest payments and funds the school board spent; and not counting the $2,500,000 paid for the Smitherman Winkler property and on and on). What the heck? A beautiful building build on corruption and fraud. What the heck? More corruption and fraud to come. What the heck?
Party Like Its 2002! Love it Jerry. Have to hand it to you. You are the spin master.
Let the party begin.
Good posts, Mike D. and Brushfire! Bravo!
"Party" and "Mouse": Why don't you both move out of this community, which you do not really support anyway?
Oh wait - "Mouse" is out driving all the streets in Boone to get his tax dollar's worth!
Does anybody know the exact wording of the sales-tax resolution? Does it mention that the tax increase will be used for the rec. center, or is it not mentioned what the money will be used for? Surely, with the vote only a little over three weeks away, the ballots have already been printed up.
To answer my own question, the referendum reads: "Local sales and use tax at the rate of one-quarter percent (0.25 percent) in addition to all other State and local sales and use taxes."
There's nothing in the referendum that says that the money will be spent on a rec. center. The money can be spent any way the commissioners please, despite what they have said in their non-binding resolution. "In Jim Deal We Trust". RIGHT! (As an aside, the word verification for this post was "comic." How appropriate!
Post a Comment