I'm catching the bone headed comments from Carbondale about Brad's sales tax increase and giving $20M to SIU's football stadium, thought I would throw in my 2 cents from far afield.
There seem to be 3 issues here -
Should Carbondale raise taxes
Should the tax increase be from sales taxes or property taxes
Should Carbondale give that money to SIU for a football stadium
I think the general idea for raising taxes in Carbondale should be no, unless there is a good reason.
Sales taxes are the new method of sharing the pain with people who use the city's services, without paying for them. This is clearly the winner in the best practices in other cities. The people who are claiming that raising property taxes would be better are bone heads. Sure there is a chance that the entire American/Western Civilization will fall apart and people will stop buying things, but that chance is fairly small. Carbondale is just beginning to see the results of not having the highest property taxes around, with the return of families moving back into town. It would be stupid to raise property taxes now. The argument that Henry Fisher and the like are getting fat on the property tax cut is stupid too.
In the real bone headed things to do, Brad's proposing to give $20M to SIU for a football stadium is just plain dumb. Maybe it is the right thing to do, but we sure can't understand why from the information given.
So, stupid to raise taxes for any reason, stupid to suggest property tax increase and stupid to fund a football stadium. Seems like a clean sweep of stupid on this issue. But maybe some commenter's could raise the stupid level even higher?
From the Left Coast, your loyal subject reporting.
1 comment:
Saluki Way also includes renovating the arena building classrooms and a new administration building to replace (thankfully) Woody Hall. At the moment I can't remember all else it includes other than the football stadium.
I see the enire 1/2% sales tax raise as good because it will also pay for a new police department, fire station, green space development and will help some community organizations. These are all good investments that will bring people to town to visit or live and spend money.
Those opposed probably would have been perfectly happy with the money going to bike paths, planting trees and the projects that sound nice but they really do not bring 11,000 people to town on one day. Not that I'm against these projects and perhaps a private donor will step up and give 1 million dollars to make them happen, but I doubt it. It is difficult to get nation wide free advertising for such projects. Like it or not they just aren't as sexy to the nations eye.
I think it would be smart for everyone with less sexy programs to grab on to the coat tales of SIU
Athletics and get what they can from it.
For the record I donate to numerous community organizations, local schools and SIU Athletics. I do not think they should be fighting they should be cooperating.
Peter I bet the weather is much cooler out there, lucky you.
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