Let’s review the message that has been parroted over and over by the present county administration–and let me throw in one more “over” in an effort to be sure and represent things accurately:
1. We find ourselves stuck in this financial quagmire because past commissioners borrowed from the county’s reserve fund; monies that should have been left for us (present commissioners) to spend.
2. But, hey, we can pull ourselves out of this mess by simply raising taxes; i.e. forcing property owners to shell out more of their hard to come by dollars.
Brings to mind a favorite “Churchillism” (Winston Churchill quote, for those who may not know what a “Churchillism” is), “…for a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
3. And don’t worry … when we take more of your money you may be able to tap into the state’s property tax refund program; the pool of tax dollars the state collects– as if those dollars come from someone other than you–the taxpayer.
When public officials not only market these talking points but, in effect, celebrate such “hardcore propaganda” it exposes the scapegoat mentality used to mask their inability to say “No” to ever-increasing spending.
Consider them warning shots fired across the fading green of your taxable front yard!
Can someone …anyone… point out where the present county administration has said “No” to anything that hasn’t initially been directly influenced by the fiscal discipline of others?
One commissioner wonders why anyone would set the levy below 19.9 percent when there’s a provision (MN Property Tax Refund Program) for those who can’t afford to pay?
How can local tax payers expect disciplined budget saving measures with a mindset shaped by such thinking?
Reminds me of the oft repeated phrase that showed up during the late 14th century–the century in which we transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age, for what it’s worth…
“Rob Peter to pay Paul.”
You knew Peter and Paul had to show up at some point.
While it’s disputed who this guy Paul was, is, and ever shall be, I am certain there are a number of haunting similarities between him and present county “leadership.”
Peter and Paul is just a shell game moving taxpayer dollars around.
One must soberly question if there is enough local revenue sources to satiate this board’s desire to extract more and more money for the public sector at the deprivation of the private sector?
The county’s auditor/ treasurer, whom I respect, joined the chorus a little over a week ago, singing the virtues of the MN Property Tax Refund Program. However, the verse he left out during the performance was the one that goes off-key …given the threshold for qualifying for the subsidy may not be reached in subsequent years while the permanency of levy increases continues to crescendo to a forte on into perpetuity.
One could assume Peter may be getting a bit fed up with all the pickpocketing.
Anyone else tired of commissioners passing policies that make themselves feel good, but hurt real people?
“Do you know that one of the great problems of our age is that we are governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas.” ~Margaret Thatcher
French political thinker, historian and writer, Alexis de Tocqueville, who traveled to the United States in 1831 and returned with a wealth of extensive observations that he catalogued in Democracy in America (1835)—one of the most influential books of the 19th century—championed the ideals of liberty and democracy. Tocqueville astutely observed that it is easier for the world to accept a simple lie than a complex truth. (Ain’t that the truth!)
Tocqueville’s insights into what made the United States successful are both instructive and dignifying.
Peter and Paul may want to read the following excerpt from Tocqueville’s influential work:
“The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” (Until the public’s money runs out!)
If the insatiable appetite for spending doesn’t ease off, more than a few of us might soon be singing ourselves; a song written by Gorney/Harburg-Next Decade Music and made popular by another Peter and Paul …and Mary…
“Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?”
Former Cook County Commissioner Garry Gamble is writing this ongoing column about the various ways government works.
Leave a Reply