Shut Up and Pay up

The following was published in the Delaware County Daily Times Editorial Page on August 8, 2000

The biggest story of the year in Delaware County has to be real estate tax re-assessment. As usual, good intentions of a government entity have lead us down the path to hell. Granted, there was need for reform relating to school taxes, however, with one fell swoop, we have heard the horror stories of taxes for some increasing over 100%.

And supposedly, for everyone getting the shaft, there are those that get the relief of reduced taxes. We don't hear much from these folks, as they must be snickering inside their residences planning on how to spend their newfound windfalls. Hopefully, they will make improvements to their homes causing their assessments to rise along with their school taxes.

It is no more fair for someone's taxes to double as it is for someone's to be reduced by 50% on an immediate basis, and this is where re-assessment failed. These changes should have been phased in over a 10-year period, not in one fell swoop. That would have been reasonable, fair, and intelligent, qualities that seem to escape our county government brain trust.

And while I am on the subject of taxes and fairness, allow me to shed some light on all of the propaganda spewing from the senior citizenry of our county. As members of a civilized society, it is our duty to act in the interest of the common good. This means that we need to provide for civil defense, transportation networks, and education for the populace.

We must also care for our elderly, and we do so with free meals on wheels, free or reduced public transportation, Medicare, and Social Security. Soon seniors will be getting free prescription drugs. It would be nice if you geezers realized that what you are receiving is not free, but paid for by your children, your children's children, and on and on. It is debt that your consumption creates to be passed on to future generations. And as a group, you will rally and complain that you don't get enough. You will campaign for more benefits, creating more debt for future generations. You will complain that you have no children in school so you should pay no taxes. You conveniently forget those generations before you had no Social Security or Medicare, and they still managed to pay their fair share.

So, to those seniors that have complained about school taxes, I have a message for you. Shut up and pay your fair share. And for those of you that have written about a tax revolt and paying nothing, I say go ahead. And I assure you that I will form a grass roots movement of working class people, who are just as disgusted with their tax burden as you. We will see that our government enforces the law, seizes your property, sells it at sheriff's sale, and throws your self centered, shortsighted, sorry carcass in prison.

There is also another solution to reduce the school tax crunch that all seniors should consider. Sell your real estate and move. Please. Quit expecting me and future generations to pay your bills. It is time to understand just what fairness is all about, and that will require you to remove your hands from my pockets and the pockets of your children.