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Show Bond Issue Plus Tax Increase JOHN HUMMEL A recent release of the Utah Taxpayers Assn. reports that the people of Salt Lake City will pay in taxes mis year $19,522,000. Of this amount the schools will receive the sum of $10,430,000; 53ft of the total tax bill and an increase in-crease of 220 over last year's I ciety to do good to some of the people? The primary objective of government is the protection of the citizenry against such crimes of violence as robbery. But now that the government itself is engaged en-gaged in banditry, to whom can we turn for protection? It has been truly said that the Forgotten Commandment is, "THOU SHALT NOT STEAL." For it is no less stealing if we rob our neighbor through our government govern-ment legislators, than it is if we bypass the legislature and deal directly with the victim himself. The board of education, not being satisfied with getting the lion's share of all local tax monies for the schools has now called for a $5.5 million bond vote for September 15th. When is the voracious appetite of the educators educ-ators to be satiated? Apparently not until they have picked the last scrap from the carcass of the taxpayer. If we returned to a system of private schools our educators would not need to use the weapon of the government to meet their needs. Indeed, a lot of frill courses such as driver education, basket weaving, fencing, fenc-ing, and the various life adjustment adjust-ment courses to make Johnny fit into society would be dropped immediately. im-mediately. It appears that a big resounding NO!, the louder the better, is indicated in-dicated for the school bond issue. share of the plunder. 1 he increase in the school taxes is due in large part to the action of the state legislature increasing the state school levy from one mill last year to six and one tenth mills for 1959, an increase of 6100. Gov. George D. Clyde, commenting com-menting on the mill increase said, "I felt and I now feel that the people of the state through their elected representatives had clearly clear-ly indicated their desire for increased in-creased state support of the Uniform Uni-form school program. I also believe be-lieve that the people should be pre- . pared cheerfully to pay for the program which they wanted and which they got." The governor's assumption that the irresponsible actions of our "elected representatives" constitutes consti-tutes the voice of the people is stretching the point behond reason. True, it should be the voice of the people. I would suggest that the legislature was representing a militant and vociferous pressure group, rather than the people. I am reminded of the case of the Grandmother Bandit of a few years ago who robbed several sev-eral banks in California. When finally apprehended she said she was only doing it to send her daughter to college. Do we now have Grandmother Bandits in the forms of our local, state and federal governments robbing so- |