You would think with being a full-time marketing guru, a part-time dad and councilor he wouldn’t have time to help out others in the community;
Mark Johnston’s (an executive with Sanford – The Argus edited that out of the letter) My Voice column in the May 10 Argus Leader concerning the information sheet I’d written on behalf of Citizens for a Responsible Sales Tax is an encouraging sign. In a vital society, citizens speak out on important issues.
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The column reflects almost point for point an April 28 e-mail response I received from Sioux Falls City Councilor Vernon Brown. Johnston evidently also contacted Brown for information – another good sign of citizen and government interaction.
I guess I have been mistaken. It seems our councilors and city have the special interests on a leash, not the other way around. Wonder how big of a check Mr. Johnston will be cutting Vernon for his mayor campaign? A small price to pay to have someone write a letter to the editor for you I guess. Maybe Johnston could help these people instead;
Forty percent of the students in our public schools in 2008-09 were eligible for free or reduced-rate meals. The number of families in Sioux Falls at or below 180 percent of poverty is growing – not a good sign that taxes should be raised.
Of course they have to raise taxes on the rest of us so we can feed these kids. Wait. You mean they didn’t raise our taxes to help the less fortunate? I guess the kids will just have to learn how to eat off of those new roads on the edge of Tea, SD we are building with the tax increase. Too bad really, I think roadkill tastes better in the Fall, but what do I know, I’m just a blogger.
Kathy ends her letter with a little truth to power that our city officials seem to be incredibly ignorant about;
Financial irresponsibility has landed our nation in its current morass of staggering debt and unemployment and its growing numbers of families at or near poverty. One of the most important duties citizens have is keeping a watch on their own communities’ financial accountability.
In this economy, it’s wrong to raise sales taxes. Government furthers itself at inflation exhausted unemployed citizen expense. Our quality of life has become inferior. Then, we’re hit with more tax. Here’s one answer: Purchase coupon books good for a 50 percent discount at participating merchants. Of course, the price of the coupon books would cover the 50%. You see these books for sale here but the sale is taxed. Set up a Winnepeg address where books are mailed from. No cross border duty or tax on publications. No sales tax from out of country if no presence in the US. Items are not sold for less than cost (50% retail markup). NAFTA that works for US citizens. An 8 percent sales tax is fine if it’s from half of retail sales.
Got to go. I’m setting up a publishing business in Canada.
I still find it funny that Brown co-authored the column that Johnston wrote yet his name didn’t appear on the column, I thought the Argus had a policy against that?