How is it that the city managers can terrorize city employees, to support the 3/4% tax renewal, on city time? Aren't they supposed to be working on city(our time)? And why aren't the taxpayers here getting sick of being terrorized with threats of fire and police department cuts if it isn't passed? Well, I for one AM sick and tired of being threatened by these self-serving idiots that are behind it. I'll be at the voting booth bright and early next week to vote against this bullshit tax renewal!!
City Scare Tactics
Comments ... #
Since when does the city tell the voters what's going to be what?
in re this 3/4% income tax, apparently it's since 1982, since that's how long this 'temporary tax' has been around.
"How is it that the city managers can terrorize city employees ..."
People's Republic of Toledo.
The big star naturally represents the strong-arm, bullying mayor, and the twelve little stars represent the spineless boobs on city scoundrel. The number of dimwits that exist within local government is staggering. But then again, they represent the electorate.
But don't worry, all problems will be resolved once the new downtown arena opens in the fall of 2009. The new arena will be called "The Second Coming," since it will save Toledo.
The beauty of Toledo / Lucas County government is its built-in morbid humor. When you think no public official can top the last idiotic action by a local official, just wait a few days. For example, the imbecilic fear mongering expressed recently by local officials over this 3/4% tax is gold, baby.
One priceless nugget can be found in this Feb 25, 2008 Toledo Blade story :
Councilman Wilma Brown was much more direct about the issue. "It's going to burn our city," she said during a finance committee meeting. Mrs. Brown said she would "flame-proof" her house and not drive her car because of the reduced police and fire forces should the income tax fail.
Holy hell. That's awesome. Flame-proof her house. Can I make use of the duct tape and plastic sheeting that I have in storage in case of a terrorist attack?
So Toledo will become one big fire ball if the 3/4% tax goes down in flames next Tuesday, eh? Good thing we have Web 2.0 sites like YouTube and Twitter to document the big burn.
Oh, and council somehow decided that they have enough taxpayer money to help keep the Willis B Boyer afloat. Whew, thank goodness for that courageous 11 to 1 vote yesterday.
JR, you're probably right. In the two blocks that make up "my street" between Western and South Avenue we have "only" had four (4) fires, all of them treated as arson. Of oourse, we have a fire station less than two blocks away. That will probably close when the 3/4% tax isn't passed. But I am hoping that it doesn't.
I believe in "urban renewal", and the one way this will happen quickly is throught the "natural" process of fire. Remove the fire protections from the area within two miles of the mayor's office, and we will begin to see human nature take its course. The crack addicts that live in that area will use the vacant properties for temporary housing, perhaps setting fires in abandoned buildings for warmth. Give it 10 years or so, and much of the older structures surrounding the downtown will be removed by fire, and we'll have bare ground on which to build newer, larger properties. So the defeat of the 3/4% tax, or even the removal of most of the income tax has its advantages.
posted by oldsendbrdy on Feb 29, 2008 at 12:03:21 am #
Just a thought...
If you work inside Toledo's city limits, and live outside the city, you still have to pay the ¾% income tax, but you are not allowed to vote on the tax renewal.
..Isn't that a textbook case of taxation without representation? You know, one of the main reasons we declared independence back in 1776?
Just a thought...
And what about the new Toledo city tax applied last spring that's disguised as a refuse collection fee? Toledoans didn't get to vote on that one. Hence the reason for a new lawsuit.
Feb 29, 2008 Toledo Blade story :
A former candidate for Toledo City Council sued the city yesterday, demanding that the nearly year-old garbage-collection fee be reversed and residents be reimbursed. Karen Shanahan filed the lawsuit in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, claiming the city enacted "wrongful taxation" when the Finkbeiner administration imposed "an additional tax to collect refuse without the approval of Toledo City Council and without the approval of voters."Calling the fee a classic case of "taxation without representation," Ms. Shanahan said yesterday she is asking the court to grant a permanent injunction against the fee and order that the money be refunded to residents. "If they don't have enough money for refuse collection, then go to the voters and ask for more money," she said. "If the voters say no, then you cut your expenses."
"[Council members] are saying that if this is going to be passed, it has to be by the right legislative body and I'm saying that the only legislative body that has the right to pass this is the voters," she said. "If you want this kind of fee, then put it where it belongs, on a ballot before the voters."
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's proposed 2008 budget depends on $4.8 million to be collected from the trash fee this year.
Trash fee? Does the refuse collection department get all of the $4.8 million?
Maggie Thurber did a couple of GREAT shows on the 3/4% tax thing. If you missed them, I urge you to listen to them here:
From what I've heard, Carty made some comments about the shows, indicating it didn't give him a 'warm-fuzzy'!
posted by GraphicsGuy on Mar 02, 2008 at 09:57:53 am #
And another thing, repealing this tax will mean more money in our paychecks, and WE can then stimulate the local economy the way WE see fit. Since when does the city tell the voters what's going to be what?
posted by CharlieA-Z on Feb 27, 2008 at 07:00:01 pm #