[Vision2020] Taxpayer Rights

[Tom Ivie]

g,
 If your assessment is correct about how a levy works, I must publicly plead ignorance on the topic.  I honestly did not realize that is how they work.  A positive thing that I like about 2020 is the exchange of ideas and facts. I may have learned something today from someone I totally didn't expect to.  I don't necessarily disagree with the ideas you put forth in A,B, & C.  I think that they address a bigger picture though and require the work of the Legislature rather than MSD.  Still, I have confidence that MSD followed the law as they were advised by good legal counsel.  Thanks G for enlightening me on how a levy works (I didn't realize that they don't sunset), I sincerely mean that. 


"g. crabtree" <jampot at adelphia.net> wrote:       Tom, your argument with regard to the president  works wonderfully to illustrate the patent unfairness of the MSD's supplemental  levy scheme for obtaining additional funds. Every four years you get an  opportunity to elect yourself a new national leader. Even if you fail, the  scoundrel is out in eight years no matter what. With the levy, once its in its  in forever. Perfectly reasonable people who, for reasons of their own, are not  in favor of the tax increase must be constantly voting to keep the increases at  bay. Those in favor must only get lucky once and the rest of the community  is put upon into perpetuity. Plus, if the levy fails the district  simply wears down the voters by marginally reducing the amount they ask for and  coming back again and again until they finally succeed. Once they establish the  new, albeit slightly lower bonus they simply come back with their hand out a  little sooner then they might have
 had the original levy passed and start the  whole nightmare over again. To establish  a modicum of fairness in this  process the levy's should:
  
 A. Sunset after a given number of years. (If  Moscow's economy were to seriously tank, property values plummet and school  district enrolment numbers shrink drastically, do you really think we should be  bound by levy's from the distant past?)
  
 B. Require at least a 60% or greater voter  approval. (I'd prefer 75%)
  
 C. Be put to a single vote at regularly  scheduled elections (to avoid voter fatigue and cherry picking election  dates)
  
 g
    ----- Original Message ----- 
   From:    Tom Ivie    
   To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
   Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 9:31 AM
   Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Taxpayer    Rights
   

I thought about this for a little while and decided that it is    much like voting for a President.  Someone elected without a "mandate"    can still become President (Clinton).  A "simple" majority (even if    decided by a court) can still make you President (Bush II).  When we    vote, those of us 18 and older, are voting for those who can't yet vote (those    not 18 and not yet legal to vote yet -as in immigrants). But they have to live    with the outcome of that vote until the next opportunity arises that they MAY    be able to vote if they have become of age or legal to vote -become a U.S.    citizen.  

Donovan Arnold    <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:        The Wietz lawsuit raises some important questions in my mind,      particularly regarding taxpayers and their rights. 
      
     Is it fair, first off, to have a vote to pay taxes for an indefinite      amount of time? Seems rather unfair, voting to tax people in the future that      have not been given the right to decide what tax level they feel is fair.      Being told, "People in the past already voted and so you don't get to      decide, ever, unless of course you want to raise the tax rate."--hardly      seems reasonable to me. 
      
     Second, at what point is the minority tax payer able to rebel against      the taxes levied upon him/her by the majority? What rights do they have to      protect them from out right exploitation and thievery by the tax      levying democratic majority?
      
     Third, are property taxes even fair or just? Taxing people on where      they live, even knocking those on fixed incomes right outta their      homes?
      
     Finally, placing the entire burden of running schools, the largest      expense, squarely on the back of property owners seems rather harsh, is not      greatly unjust. 
      
     What do you think? Am I wrong to think that there should be      some limits placed on what the democratic majority can do to the      minority taxpayer that just feels completely robbed and stripped      of the fruits of their hard labor? Is it possible Gerry Wietz and other      feel the same way?
      
     Best,
      
     Donovan 
     
     
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