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Show Letter to the Editor: Student Supports Tax Initiatives Each of these people have concluded that their only recourse is to limit the revenue obtainable to their departments which would result in a streamlining of that department. Interestingly, these people feel if taxes were reduced their Jobs would be more secure than they are now because the economy would be healthier than it is By Michael Knight Regarding the tax initiatives there Is a plethora of numerical rhetoric which even the espousers cannot keep straight. You don't need to know those numbers to make decisions about the initiatives. There now. is, in fact, no way that you can know how interesting is that they do not the initiatives will Impact the numbers. want Equally work mates to know their their Government officials can't even agree on for fear of reprisal at work. The what the Impact will be, so how can we? If disposition of this is that there is room to cut gist you arent ready to believe what I have Just waste in the trenches," if not at the top, as said then you need only to read the acknowledged by those people In the newspapers for a week or so and you will trenches. What better Input could there be the get So, to the solution? you are off the hook as far as The government is highly motivated knowing what the percentages and totals of to manipulate our perception of the extent dollar impact there will or wont be if the of impact the tax Initiatives may or may not Initiatives are passed. have on services. Government is a group Why should you - not base your aside from the mainstream of the decision about the initiatives upon the and is in the unique position of chameleon equations that the government, population to create for itself a world which able being through the media. Is providing you? to respond to the normal does have not Would you accept a duel where your opponent is allowed to select the constraints of the business world. Linear Manipulating Can you imagine the Fuller Brush man "Hyperthermal Obfuscator" for weapons (a weapon that he coming to your door demanding your check created in private at his lab with his trusted book, filling out a check to himself, then workers, and for which there is no twisting your arm until you sign the check; instruction manual)? Would you consider his parting comment: "I will select a few dueling on that basis? Right. brushes for you and send them real soon," The issues of tax limitation need to Your government does essentially that. It be resolved on the conceptual basis. Insofar tells you what services it will provide and as there is a paucity of conceptualizing with how much It will cost. That is not all bad if regard to the issues, I shall bring as many there is accountability, budget constraint, of the concepts to light as the confines of and communication of truth. this form allow. The truth is that we generate the Within my circle of friends there are resources that the government must a few public employees, a policeman, a convert to its own use. We can place the teacher, a few firemen, and a state social government under fiscal constraints by way worker. I have talked to each of them about of petition. We can return ourselves to the tax limitation. driver seat, and retain the primal control. It would be' inaccurate to say that By that process we dont allow the there is unanimous support for the government to ransom the services we initiatives, but there is a common belief value. among them that there is inappropriate use Depriving the government of the None of them feel finances it has become accustomed to is of resources. comfortable about going to their superiors like asking the Junkie to go "cold turkey," with complaints or suggestions for its tough duty and he will protest. Asking improvements for fear of offending those the government if it has enough money will obtain the same accuracy as when you ask superiors. picture. the wolf to give you the head count of the flock. Dont ask. For those of you who have not looked at your paycheck stub lately Ill ask you to do that. I looked at my paycheck recently and discovered that withholdings amounted Then I to 26 of my gross income. calculated the amount I spent each month on items subject to sales tax, gas tax, liquor tax, other taxes on utilities, and arrived at a percentage of my gross income per month going to taxes which made me a bit nervous. What percentage would you guess? Do you know your percentages? Mine worked out to about 40. If you stop to ponder that there are other taxes that we ' pay that are not so obvious and are in addition to the ones I have mentioned. such as interstate transportation taxes, fare taxes, Import duties and other taxes built into everything we buy. It becomes very easy to conclude that If the government does not already hold the majority interest in your paycheck then it wont be very long before it does. Until the government has claimed a majority of our earnings we will still retain some vestiges of the original freedoms as laid out by the Constitution. While those vestiges are still Intact we need to recognize them so that we may act to retain them. ' In order for you to be free you need to hang on to the largest portion of your paycheck. If you retain at least 50 percent of your pay you may be free. If you retain less than 50 percent you are not free; the government has the majority interest, in Freedom for file Elite ft t: i t; f Ron Farnsworth cast ballots In September. What makes this figure even worse is that there were only 262,278 people registered to vote, down taken been The United States has aver and is being run by a small but vocal from 358,359 registered voters Just four llnority that may or may not be acting in years ago. Granted, there wasn t much on the le best interests of the general populace. t iReaction to this startling announcement primary ballot last month, but that doesn Utah of the lessen the process. importance aiders on mass apathy. Who is this group that runs our has had a tradition of strong voter turnout Many Utahns claim membership in the Icountry? Many of them are the 'same elite group that runs the country, simply people who run our state and city because they make themselves heard This group is elitist and Igovemments. the ballots they cast. Veiy few minorities, through In 1984. 76 percent of Utahs voters college students or people under the age of heard. In 1986, 54 themselves made 125 can claim membership in this voted. Last month, less than 10 percent Jprivileged class. Utahns aren't perfect. Even This group passes laws that affect percent. students are college Statistically, Ipeople who dont belong to their group vote. In the don t citizens. of They pathetic is group places people in positions seen we students have in China last and year authority in executive, legislative to make risk death Korea an rioting by further judicial levels of government, United States heard. In the controlling every citizens life whether they themselves students have a forum to be heard that they Hike it or not. What is this group and Is there neglect to use. Last month 25,159 people decided mything that can be done to stop them? Utah citizens who would appear on all for le group is the voting public. To stop ballot the in November. iem, you must Join. It is time to shake off the bonds of Last month a primaiy election was with which we are bound and rise affliction reld in Salt Lake City, an electon that could heardl Vote. If you are from out be and lave been canceled due to lack of Interest. up for an absentee ballot. send of voters state, nly 9.5 percent of the registered quite discriminatory. Forum 3 and our government if the initiatives are defeated. That will, if tacitly, give to continue status quo. There permission will be the lip service that the politicians have gotten the message, but without constraints Imposed they will go unconstrained abut their business. Do the initiatives go too far? Since the greatest effect of the initiatives is to roll taxes back to the pre 1987 levels it is hard to Imagine that they go too far. Remember that we did have services as far back as 1987. Now, that simple fact does You fantasies of office. The framers of the Constitution and to the we should intended that Constitution, later, the 2nd Amendment protect ourselvs from a away government. self-importa- nt, run Besides keeping ourselves armed against our own government, we need to keep the majority Interest in our money That will keep the government answerable Letter to the Editor: not preclude self-fulfilli- an admonished ng non-incumbe- mandate. When you abdicate your wealth through taxation conscription you abdicate your freedom. History demonstrates that once the governments have access to your wealth they dont relinquish that access. I say that you owe it to yourself to limit that access because once gotten, the access cannot be returned to you except by the most militant means. of Tax limitation is the only device that will ensure that you will retain your freedom. Government will always supply service for the amount of money that it can get from you. Benjamin Franklin said, "It would be thought a hard government that should tax its people one-tent- h part of their time to be employed in its service. Initiatives Tax minutes The presidents of Utah's Major law difference. organizations that administration may not teach us a lesson about what happens when we seek to constrain them. Depending on the outcome of the initiatives and the elections, there may be reduced revenue mandated to the administrators. That would be a grand opportunity for them to show us what they meant when they said "The initiatives will be a disaster." Then they could deliver a prophesy to us. Therefore, if you decide that you are in favor of the initiatives it would be prudent to vote for the to administer the Peace Officers enforcement rapidly disappearing. Consider the message you will send are now an closer the The indentured slave. to comes government owning you the more cavalier it becomes in the financing of its your productivity. traits two mannerly, have investigated the facts surrounding the tax initiatives and their potential effect on the level of public saftey within the state. The three associations agree that the facts clearly demonstrate that approval of the initiatives would result in a severe negative impact on Utah law enforcement. Law enforcement in Utah is having a difficult time maintaining the level of public safety which the state presently, Currently, there are 1.6 law enjoys. officers in Utah per 1,000 citizens compared to the national average of 2.1 per thousand. Approval of the tax limitation initiatives on the November ballot would bring about severe reductions both in law enforcement programs and personnel. Such reductions would cost fewer tax dollars, but what will happen to auto, fire and homeowner's insurance premiums? Fewer officers will mean a longer response time to crimes, traffic accidents and medical emergencies. Respones will have to be prioritized both by officer location and availability as well as a situations severity. Many people have experienced traumatic events, such as in cases of heart attacks, drowning and choking, where can make the We appreciate that life-or-dca- th taxpayer-voter- s should decide the level of governmental services they pay for and We strongly recommendthat receive. voters look at the facts before making a decision. We believe the three tax initatlves may be well motivated, but are poorly thought out. They would randomly cut every government service in Utah without distinction and without exception. Each of us has sworn to serve and protect the people of Utah. We write to tell you that we firmly believe these initiatives are a direct threat to our ability to carry out will and these goals. If you have questions regarding the negative Impact of the tax initiatives, please contact your local chief, sheriff or peace officer. Wayne Shepherd Utah Chiefs of Police Association Clair Foulson Utah Sheriffs Association Ben Lemmon Utah Peace Officers Association Issue 3 October 11 , 1988 |