Letter to the Editor

Why not find cuts?

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Dear Editor,

Why are there no stories discussing the possibility of reducing spending by the city?

Everything I have read related to this issue of the city sales tax has been more taxes, not less spending.

Why are there brainstorming sessions for new projects to spend tax payer's money and not a serious conversation about how to spend less of our money?

It seems that the stories are biased to convince the residents of McCook they cannot survive without more taxes and condition residents that taxes can not go down or even remain the same but must go up.

When they don't have an immediate need for the money, our elected officials get together to create projects in order to justify higher taxes.

One other thing, playing on people's fear, especially our seniors, that property taxes will go up without this sales tax is shameful. Do the right thing and have a serious conversation finding area's in the city budget to reduce rather than increase.

As a taxpayer, I will state that subsidizing a grocery store in the downtown area with tax dollars is probably the most absurd idea I have heard of.

Has anyone heard of the idea of supply and demand?

If there is such a strong demand for this business, then those who are in favor of it should do like everyone else in the business community, invest in it or find investors, not government handouts, and then reap the benefits.

Of course that isn't the case, so those with this idea propose to take city tax dollars to start this business and create a government subsidized entity that takes business away from free market businesses like Schmick's Market and Wal-Mart.

I applaud businesses like Schmick's that enter the free marketplace and create competition, because that is what keeps prices in check, not government.

As for the other absurd idea, free high-speed Internet, there needs to be another lesson in supply and demand and the free market.

Whenever you are talking about government whether it is federal, state, or local there is no such thing as FREE. Governments do not generate revenue; they take it, and without business such as those who provide high-speed Internet for a fee, because of a demand for it in the marketplace, there are fewer taxes for them to collect and give to our government officials.

Follow me on this, if there are fewer people paying companies like McCookNet for high-speed Internet because the city of McCook decides to give it away using tax dollars then there is less revenue at McCookNet and in order for them to stay in business (a little thing called profit margins) they will have to raise their rates or reduce expenses (fewer employees).

To those who say they will contract this free high-speed Internet to McCookNet, you are just creating another entitlement program to keep constituents dependent on government because, like our health care crisis everyone will think that high-speed Internet is a right, not a privilege.

There needs to be a lesson on the TRUE cost of government and proposed programs such as these. Unchecked government growth, which creates dependency and more taxes, is one of the things that diminish the human spirit's longing to be free.

Rather than spending more time with your family, one must spend more time feeding this animal called government and that erosion of the family will destroy the very premise this great country was founded on. As government grows our freedoms are not only diminished but they begin to disappear.

So when you as city officials are dreaming of new ways so spend more tax revenue, do the taxpayers a favor and leave the free market alone, because we can't afford ideas like these.

Taxes should be used to fund the brave men and women of our armed forces, law enforcement, and public safety, not programs that jeopardize businesses that exist in the free market and create jobs for people that PAY TAXES in the form of income and sales tax.

Please focus on things you were elected to do; public safety and ESSENTIAL services for the constituents of McCook.

Respectfully,

Todd Cappel

McCook

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