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Show (CyBllcn)ps By Brian Cray While driving past an elementary school playground, I noticed a young child miss a soccer ball kicked in his direction. The boy was angry with himself for missing the kick so he lurched out and swung his arm at a wooden plank connecting the playground equipment. I assume the boy hurt his hand. But I don't know... I was too busy thinking about the current tax protest movement. Don't get me wrong: I sympathize with the tax protestors. Utah is now among the top three states in tax increases and we now rank eighth highest in state and local tax collections compared com-pared to personal income. Utah taxes have jumped 239 percent between 1975-1985 and this figure doesn't include this year's record tax hike. And yet the tax protestors resemble that small child on the playground. In their anger, they often strike out at anything that smacks of government... And especially if, like the wooden plank, it is convenient and nearby. Like the rest of you. I don't like taxes any more than I like plankton. But, at the same time, I also recognize the need to fund essential and constitutional services. A few examples: THE 91 1 EMERGENCY SYSTEM With the tragic death of the young Fruit Heights girl, residents are asking why the county does not have an enhanced 911 system. The reason is partly territorial; but it's also true that some taxpayers grumbled about the addition of a 50 cents monthly telephone fee to finance the program. Sure, the 50 cents fee is a service tax but most of us should be willing to give up one Pepsi each month to increase the chance of a child or an adult surviving. THE JAIL BOND ELECTION Judging from the outcry to the recent Bullock release, it's apparent that most taxpayers want prisoners in jail, if not comfortably at least comfortably behind bars. The courts have ruled that jails must have certain minimum standards, giving Davis County an option: Either finance an adequate jail or don't arrest people and attempt to imprison them. And if we continue to imprison them in a substandard sub-standard facility, then the prisoners can sue the county and its taxpayers. Sure, the new jail is a tax increase about the same amount each year as the cost of a pro wrestling ticket. Most of us should be willing to miss one Hulk Hogan match in order to increase our own personal safety. Due to overcrowding, a jail will be built. The most inexpensive method is to approve the Jail Bond in next week's election. The cost is a lot cheaper than a lawsuit, the early release of prisoners or financing at a higher interest rate. EDUCATION TAXES The tax protest movement talks about the huge proportion of money being channeled into the public schools. And they have a valid beef especially with the Legislature's handwringing whenever the terms "lottery" and "head tax" appear as a potential solution. But the griping about school taxes doesn't confront the problem. Recently I made a delivery to every elementary school in Kaysville and Farming-ton, Farming-ton, and I asked the school secretaries how many more students were enrolled this year. The answers were numbing: Another 85 (three new teachers)... Another 110 (four new teachers)... Oh, just 140 (another five teachers). While most of us dislike taxes, few of us dislike children and we can't padlock the school doors simply to prove a point. We should demand that the schools run "lean and mean". ..But turning off the financial faucet makes as much sense as starving a family to prove a point about the mismanagement of food. Maybe that child in the playground should appear at the next tax protest meeting. The boy can tell of his frustration and of how he took it out on the wooden equipment. "I felt good during the swing," he could say, "but it sure hurt afterwards." Taxpayers can strike out, too. |