No New Taxes

Says Republican Candidate for Governor Andy McKenna. So say other candidates who are reaching voters through recordings. Lairs all. Democrats also. Take property taxes. Assessed values almost always go up raising the amount of taxes you pay. Wait till you get your property tax bill for those of you who live in D150, the City and the Peoria Public Library District. Wait two more years and many people will actually weep when they see how much their property tax bill or bills have risen. Some businesses are smirking because they are under assessed and apparently little is being done about it. Rumor has it the the Journal Star properties are under-assessed which may be the reason the JSEB has not entered into the property tax debate.

Now take fees. Transfer of title jumped from $65 to $95 January 1. Same for a new title. So are license plates, drivers licences, marriage, divorce, passports and fines of all kinds. Our governmental bodies say if we want more services, we have to pay for them. We agree. Unfortunately, there is no end that the government thinks, agrees with what we think we need. Then everybody is forced to pay and pay more. After all, how is government going to pay for all those expensive pensions? Are those collecting big tax-payer funded pensions, complaining? Not hardly? Look at the City of Peoria and D150 pensions ballooning.

I'm told over and over that more money from the Federal Government will help us with things like our museum and our schools and welfare programs through entitlements, grants, tax credits and subsidies. Does the list ever end? Then everybody blames Congress for bankrupting the country. No, it is our greed and "keeping up with the Joneses" that is bankrupting all areas under partial or full governmental control.

No new taxes? Bull crap. They say "throw the bums out" just like the Possum; the old comic strip character who said "we has met the enemy and he is us" to use language generally associated with parts of our public school systems. But then, most of those that never learned the English language very well, pay less taxes.