Dear Editor,
I, along with many others, waged a battle against the new SPLOST TAXES back in Nov. of 2011. The vote was close in Troup County, passing by only 179 votes. The majority of voters in District 3, voted not to tax themselves. I am the only candidate running for Commissioner in District 3 who opposed, as did the voters, the higher sales taxes, which are now in place for another 6 years because of the county wide referendum. It seems the people decided in District 3 they were Tea’d (Taxed Enough Already) but for 179 votes county wide , the sales tax in Troup County would be 5 percent beginning in 2013.
The voters now face an additional 1 percent for 10 years, the T-SPLOST, to add to the present 7 percent sales tax if the voters vote again to tax themselves.
The following will appear on your primary ballot July 31st.
“Shall Troup County’s transportation system and the transportation network in this region and the state be improved by providing for a 1 per cent Special District Transportation Sales and Use Tax for the purpose of transportation projects and programs for a period of ten years?” Yes or No? There is deception in the question.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Georgia lawmakers avoid responsibility by claiming that they are allowing the voters to “choose” a tax that they vote to allow on a ballot and claim it is our choice. All the while they claim it’s for the “public good”. If they really believe that why didn’t they vote the tax increase themselves as was in the original bill? The bottom line is that politicians are abusing the referendum process to force an additional tax on our backs for they fear to take responsibility for the bad legislation and they also know the ballot language will fool some.
T-Splost use of regional commissions is an attempt to add an unelected layer of government, destroying accountability, local control and representative government. Funneling billions of dollars through these appointed commissions, the using of appointed “citizens” review panels to monitor them is like the fox guarding the hen houses. They have created a mechanism whereby people in other counties can extract money from unwilling voters in other counties. If 50 percent plus 1 votes to tax themselves July 31st in this 10 county region and all in Troup County vote no, too bad we in Troup County will be taxed. Let’s pray that 50 percent plus one votes” no” in Coweta, Heard, Butts, Pike, Carroll, Meriwether, Spalding, Upson ,Lamar , along with Troup County .
Why would special interest groups fund an $8,000,000 propaganda campaign to misdirect voters? They are supported by bureaucrats whose power can expand. The T-SPLOST is not about transportation projects, but about eliminating local control, enriching some at our expense. Someone has called this tax “T-SLOP” FOR THE PUBLIC TROUGH!
I am against the T-Splost and suggest the voters in District 3 not be fooled by those candidates who have now voiced opposition against this 10 year tax when they whole hearted wanted you to tax yourselves for 6 more years back in November. Liberals have never met a tax they didn’t like. I think they know the voters have caught on, at least in District 3.
Ellen Gilmore
Candidate for Troup County Commissioner District 3
SPLOST passed and you need to GET OVER IT.
Although seperate, both are under the auspice and advancement of fear mongering. Case and point is L.E.O.s' comments that saftey would have gone by the way-side if the SPLOST would not have happened, no it would not have. Yes, some taxes are needed to do the business of the county and city. However, I have a real problem when you float out the idea that teacher's jobs would be spared and local projects will go undone if not passed...by the way... after the vote the truth has come out and we were lied to. Moreover, I am all but certain that local leaders knew that the T-SPLOST would be on the ballot come summer and still blitz kreiged ahead nonetheless. We are not as dumb as you think we are. But, like the old saying goes, "fool me once shame on you." Fool me twice, shame on me."
To echo Ms. Gilmore vote no in the upcoming election. Remember, it is SUPPOSED to be the government of the people for the people.....
Really now? The holocaust? You do know that Germany (assuming that is what you are referring to) had a government-controlled education system, central economic planning ran rampant, and civil liberties were pretty much compromised to high degrees. That doesn't sound the least bit Conservative/Libertarian. In fact, government trends were more Left wing if anything. Even though Hitler believed the Nazi Germans to be God's "master race," it was hardly classified as pro-limited government and pro-civil liberties as the Conservative/Libertarian ideals imply.
In terms of the T-SPLOST issue, I ask this: Why should we be putting this on the tax payer's tab when our own state government has plenty of waste to cut in spending? That money wasted on pet projects could very well go towards mass transit. I'm pretty sure our state government would survive if it couldn't blow money on a stadium.
Another thing to address is with the SPLOST. I was looking at the Troup County budget and saw the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget proposal. Without the SPLOST for our local area, we still have a budget surplus of almost $1 million. That money could very well translate into public safety spending instead of raising taxes. I'm not too sure how the entire Lagrange city budget unfolds, but I'm pretty sure the city is doing pretty well enough to consolidate funds for things that need it most.
I'm really surprised that people are so fine with supporting measures that call for additional taxation upon themselves. Especially when the economy is weak and we are being taxed in various other ways (including inflation of the US dollar).
I respect your opinion, L.E.O., but to insinuate the undertones of Nazism with Conservatism, especially when Nazism was a Left wing concept, is totally unfounded.