To the Watauga Board of Commissars:
You and your fellow big spender commissars certainly have a way with words in explaining your new means to finance the re-defined county ‘needs’ for schools and the recreation center. It is also striking how you place the massive recreation center for some as a ‘need’ directly on the same level with capital improvements for county schools. Orwell could not have done better.
What’s the matter, big spenders and taxers ? You “good stewards of our money” still don’t have enough monies for your ‘needs‘ ? You mean you are not “successful” enough ? Your increase in the property tax wasn’t enough ? So, you now want to increase the sales tax. Also, you promise that if you can obtain the increase in the sales tax, then the recent property tax increase will be halved. We’ve heard so many of your empty promises, your lies, that we should know, surely by now, your promises mean absolutely nothing. Plus, you gingerly and condescendingly explain how you ‘need ‘ to maximize your tax revenues and, of course, clarify to us common folks just what a quarter of a percent is – in case we sheeple don’t know.
Well, as to your proposed sales tax increase and promised referendum, uh, aren’t you forgetting about the NC law governing sales tax ?
These laws are very specific.
Local sales tax can only be increased by 1/4 cent.
Officials cannot earmark these funds generated for anything specific.
The referendum can only have a For or Against on the ballot.
The officials can only claim what they intend to do with the increase; however, they cannot advertise For or Against the referendum.
Finally, the officials cannot make claims regarding other existing taxes, as in property taxes, if the referendum passes or not.
All of a sudden, you big taxing and spending Dems are all for a referendum now. I wonder why. Where were your past Democrat colleagues ~ 13 years ago regarding a publicized, promised referendum then ? Remember that ole double cross by lying Jim Deal that cost the county taxpayers well over a 100 million dollars for one high school ? Frankly, the proposed ‘needs‘ for the present school capital improvements have been exhausted, used up, in the tax increases and huge debt burden that paid for the several previous property purchases as well as the new high school. Property purchases that were far more than the new high school site. ‘Remember ?
Joe Furman, I recall your inquiries in the Spring of 2004 (yes, that early) to a Professor Bluestein of UNC regarding county official plans for ‘land purchases and sales’. You were quite definitive, detailed, in your correspondence with the good professor re: these obviously well thought out spending plans, when most county citizens were unaware of those plans. ‘Funny thing tho’, you indicated to the professor that county officials would sell a lot of these properties. Yet, I don’t think that was the case. However, even more substantial taxpayer monies were spent in accommodating all these alleged ‘buyers’, actually beneficiaries, these special interests groups, of the predetermined county, taxpayer-funded, purchased lands.
Both you Repubs and Dems, you legalized thieves, want continuous gobs of increasing revenues to spend, spend, spend. So you propose a slightly smaller property tax leech to be replaced on a larger source via a higher sales tax leech. It’s the same ole refrain. That is, if we can believe anything you say. You will replace one burden with another, but this time many more are to be affected by the leeches, including those of us so-called ‘rich’ property owners, as we are referred to by you and your progressive, cultural Marxist colleagues.
It is also ironic, indeed, when you, commissar Turnbow, have the gall to now express concern about “regressive” taxes, like the suggested increase in sales tax. Tell me, what’s your definition of ‘regressive’ ? Your false concern for the elderly, the financially challenged, and oh, of course, these ‘more equal students’ is a little late, and frankly, disgusting. Mr. Turnbow, just where was your disingenuous concern when you were pushing for this huge recreation center as a candidate and now commissar ? Just where was your concern for the elderly then, Mr. Turnbow ? Didn’t you realize that most of the elderly citizens also own modest properties that were to be taxed higher to pay for an extravagant playroom for the much ‘more equal’ tourists, your ASU and Boone pals, the rec center group who twisted your arm ? You finally admit that most will not benefit from these increasing taxes for these costly expenditures. What a double-minded hypocrite you are. The same description applies to the other commissars of the present and the recent past.
Mr. Kennedy, your thinly disguised partisan concern regarding any NC general assemblies taking your increasing tax monies you force from us, no matter what form of tax or tax increase, will earn you no sympathy, whether local or down east. Your complaints will fall on deaf ears. After all, you and recent commissar boards have the audacity, and the well deserved, infamous reputation to label totally superfluous, extremely costly projects as ‘needs’ along with capital improvement plans for schools; that is, if we can even believe your reports re: the current school ‘needs’. Can we believe anything you say ?
Mr. Yates, did you say that when this recreation complex is built, then you will be lucky if you break even after a number of years? And even with the charges and fees people pay to use this facility and all the promotional efforts, it is still a doubtful economic feasibility or a success of sorts.
You and your well compensated county officials should be reminded that most citizens keenly remember the flagrant, arrogant lies, double cross, even laughing in our faces, by disrespectful, previous commissars concerning the actual astronomical costs and purposes for these increasing taxes.
Yes, as to the extravagant, grossly expensive high school, that project has taken so much money to build, they raised taxes to do it, and continues to cost so much in maintenance, there isn’t much left for the other schools.
Also, these huge salaries for the ‘administrators’ has left less and less for the other schools and county departments. The school system, the county, receives more and more monies from all sources, but they continue to want more; it’s never enough. But take a good look at the salaries of the administrators. Look at the huge number of employees, of teachers especially. Just where does the monies go ? Also, aren’t you forgetting that the considerable annual several million debt service, primarily on the high school, will continue for another decade ?
As we have already pointed out, the school system of a century before, and even before that, were far superior in quality teaching, academics, the basics, than the past several decades. The previous schools were lacking in the quality buildings, equipment, etc. of course, but they truly educated; their priorities were in the right place–the heart, the soul, the mind of the child. Today, and in recent decades, the emphasis, the money, is on the buildings, the structures, the fine equipment, the new, and very dubious, teaching methods, the big salaries for the administrators. Right, Mr. Elliott ?
And far more profoundly, what is happening to the youth, the children? Indeed, what has happened, what’s the matter with the parents, the grandparents, who allowed these warped priorities, the stupid, asinine policies, the dangerous ideologies to prevail in our schools and communities ? In truth, the modern system is turning our youth into sheeple with no soul, no common sense, no spirit, even teaching many to hate themselves–leaving them wide open to dangers, to be led like sheep to the slaughter. Oh, but one solution via the medical field is drugs or a different drug, courtesy of the huge pharmaceutical corporations. Drugs, legal or not, has been prevalent in our communities and schools for decades.
I have to ask the question: Do parents and grandparents really love their children and grandchildren ?
These are necessary hard questions to ask of the school system, the BOE and the BOC and staff. These are vital hard questions to ask of the county citizens, the arrogant Town of Boone and ASU, and especially of the rural communities.
Karen Carter