[Vision2020] One Person's Opinion

[Tom Hansen]

Greetings Visionaires -

It seems that those campaigning against the school bond have jumped from one
reason to another about as often as President Bush's social security plan.

First it was the fear of "urban sprawl", as if we should all fear expansion.
Expansion is good.  New families and new businesses ultimately expand the
tax base of a community.

Next it was that reparations would be more advisable than building a new
school.  How often should we repair our 1938 schools?  These repairs will
become more and more costlier as years go by.  The cost of a new school now
ultimately saves the inflated funds expended years down the road.

It is also claimed by those campaigning against the bond that renters WILL
see increased payments reflected in their leases next year as a direct
result of this bond.  There is no indication that this is the case.  In
fact, I wouldn't expect to see any increase beyond the normal inflation
rate.  I have lived in the same apartment since February 1996 (a few
levies/bonds ago) and have not seen any sizable increase in rent.

Now, Mr. Wenders is tying the bond to school salaries, implicitly suggesting
that the bond is nothing more than pork for administrator and teaching
salaries.  Nothing (short of the suggestion that moscowlevy.com and
moscoweducation.org represent the "heartbeat" of Moscow) can be further from
the truth.

It seems that the central character implicit in all excuses presented by
those campaigning against the bond is "ME".  

"What about ME?"

"How much is it costing ME?"

"What's in it for ME?"

The sole purpose of this bond is to create a foundation from which to build
a future for our children and our community.  Those people who have
struggled over the years in researching a multitude of options have created
this bond with only one question in mind:

What is best for our children and our community?

We may not get another opportunity for several years like the one we will
have next Tuesday.

If this bond dies, so does a major portion of this community's future.

Next Tuesday vote to make the future brighter.

Until then . . .

Take care, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
See you at the polls

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of
others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of
hope."

Robert F. Kennedy
(1925-1968, American Attorney General, Senator)