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If You Want My Vote, Get Tough on Taxes
To the Editor:
It's that time of year again - cool evening breezes, sweaters, football rallies, the colorful palettes of the fall leaves, and…yes, Politics! Elections are on us once again, and it always amazes me that no candidate from any party wants to face the hardball issue of runaway spending and taxation.
It is amusing to read the softball positions of candidates who blather on about nebulous
quality of life" issues totally unrelated to anything but their own vision of some simple utopia where that nasty thing called "money" doesn't really matter, and somehow just magically appears of its own accord for all to help themselves. And now, judging by the recent ads, the mudslinging and posturing begins about who has presided over what runaway spending, without any hard analysis of what the numbers really are.
So let's first look at the numbers. From 2003 to 2007, County Tax rates increased from 20.320 to 26.971 (an increase of 6.651 or 32.7%). From 2003 to 2007, Town Tax rates increased from 2.583 to 3.783
an increase of 1.200 or 46.4%). Considering that the Cost-of- Living index increased only 13% during that period, it is clear that spending at all local levels is out of control. Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.
Simple advice to all candidates: if you get elected…Just Say 'No'! Make the tough decisions. Say No to a tax increase that exceeds the cost-of-living index. Say No when government employees have their hand out for more or to add positions to their already bloated payroll. Say No when special interests want to use taxpayer money for some pet project rather than go to the trouble of making their case in the marketplace and raising private funding. Finally, say Yes to an overriding mandate that no public services budget may increase by more than the Costof Living index and make it the law.
I don't care what political party you are. If you want my vote, just get tough on taxes.
Chris Fadden
Cold Spring
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