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LETTERS / County Officials Have Yielded to Unseemly and Undue Influence From Powerful Urban Groups

Dear Editor,

At this time, when I am forced to pay this higher property tax bill, as we all know, this despicable, corrupt County has increased our property taxes significantly, even doubling some, in order to pay for these special interests projects that cost the taxpayers more and more for the exclusive benefit of some at the expense of all others.  

Over the past two decades, our local taxes have increased to pay huge sums for superfluous county land and property purchases; for an outrageously expensive, and truthfully unnecessary, new high school on a very dubious site; and now another unnecessary project of God-only-knows costs, a huge recreation center, that will, again, benefit some at the expense of all. 
 
These three unnecessary and expensive projects have all been forced upon us, the entire county tax base, without any honest, fair public debate and the traditional, vital prerequisite of a secret ballot referendum. These massive spending sprees have been predetermined from the onset; the decisions had already been made by an unelected, small group of arrogant commissars, all liars and thieves. When these groups desire to spend public taxpayer money without the necessary traditional and legal procedures, these groups are indeed liars and thieves. 
 
Not to mention, the county officials continuous, numerous public statements that turned out to be blatant, deliberate lies; these despicable, unscrupulous ‘officials’ repeatedly liedand they knew they were, and are still, lying. And they laughed about it to our faces when a few of us dared to question them. 
 
Plus, the funding and control of many county departments, especially that of the school system, has increased to levels that specifically enables the grossly overcompensated school superintendent to do as he/she pleases while the gutless School Board arbitrarily and willingly gives up their authority to this unelected central body of ‘administrators’.  And this is not to say that the School Board ordinarily would pursue policies that are in the best interests of the taxpayers — oh no. 
 
In my opinion, these officials, elected and appointed, of both parties, recent past and the present, are guilty of gross malfeasance and corruption, to say nothing of being guilty of spending tax money and promoting projects that benefit even themselves and their bipartisan friends, directly and indirectly, which are appropriately labeled as conflicts of interest and kickback. 
 
County officials have yielded to unseemly and undue influence from powerful urban groups, which includes that 2,000 ton monster in our midst, ASU and its cultural Marxists, also the unstable tourism business interests, and have shown absolutely no consideration for the overburdened taxpayers, especially those in the stressed rural communities, most of whom are of families of several generations.  
 
Again, these officials and their colleagues, primarily in the legal and real estate professions, have promoted spending sprees, tax increases, and costly special interests projects that have benefited themselves, as well as their powerful special interests pals.  
 
I am reminded of the long history of our European and North American Culture, our people, and their constant struggles against unjust, heavy taxation and oppressive government decrees. I remember those great leaders of resistance, historical and of fiction, and how I wish we had men of that caliber and conviction in the present.  
 
Yes, commissioners and county officials, the political, cultural, and economic conditions we endure are indeed that extreme, but governments in general, of all levels, always try to justify their ugly policies and brutal tactics and use any means to maintain and enhance their favored status quo.  
 
Sincerely,       
Karen Carter