LETTER: Urges no on sales tax hike

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I am speaking directly to all voters who will go to the polls on Tuesday November 6th, 2012. No matter whom you vote for or what your political affiliation may be, we all are affected by the decision we will make on the referendum for a Sales Tax Increase placed on the ballot by our County Commissioners.


I urge all of you to take the time and consider for a moment exactly what they have asked you to do. Simply put, they want you to vote to increase your own taxes. If they had the power to levy the tax they would. However, an increase in sales tax has to go before the public on a referendum vote. 

I hold no grudge toward any of them for voting to place the referendum on the ballot, but I do question the logic they gave in doing so. It does not seem logical to me that the same group who a couple of meetings ago stated the reason they were lowering their pay from $50.00 per meeting to $25.00 per meeting was to save the taxpayer money and not put the additional expense on the citizens now want you to vote to increase your taxes in November. Russell Reed and Jim Bush were the only two members of the Commission who voted NO on the Sales Tax referendum.


During these very tough economic times with high unemployment rates, high gas prices and high food prices raising the sales tax on the items that we need the most just do not make any sense. The sales tax affects and hurts the poorest citizens of our community. The sales tax affects items like food, clothing and the everyday necessities of life. Things like shirts, socks, diapers, baby food, milk, eggs, cereal and bread are all items that will increase if we vote YES to increase the sales tax.


Imagine for a moment that you are one of the many who live on a fixed income. For those who have that burden due to disabilities, retirement or whatever reason many times struggle to make ends meet and stretch their money from week to week or in many cases month to month. Any additional burden like higher sales tax will cause an even bigger strain on them.


GOD has blessed me and given me the ability to pay the increase and hopefully he has you as well, but there are many who cannot and those will be the ones who suffer the most. I urge everyone who plans to vote in the upcoming election to vote NO against the Sales Tax Increase.

Corey Davenport
Woodbury, TN

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October 23, 2012 at 6:32am
If you are interested in the education of our young people then you need to vote for this increase. If you have no interest, then vote against the increase.

Seems rather logical to me.
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October 23, 2012 at 9:04am
That might seem logical if it weren't for the fact that the same Commissioners voted to DECREASE the amount of money given to our schools in this year’s budget.

Also, I find nothing logical about taking from the poorest of our community and trying to justify it by saying it’s for the schools. Logically, the poorest of the community are the most affected and have the most to lose by increasing taxes.

Not only do I find it illogical, I also find it hypocritical to suggest taking money away from the poorest people of our community who need the money to buy clothes, food, rent, diapers, formula, medicine etc. to support and provide for their children means you are voting against their education in some way.

If the tax increase fails then the education level in Cannon County stays exactly where it is today. If it passes, the education level in Cannon County stays exactly where it is today.

If the tax passes then the income of the poorest of our community drops even further while they get nothing more in return for the money they spent.

Seems rather stupid to me.
October 23, 2012 at 2:18pm
“Seems rather stupid to me”

Let’s see now.

If the tax increase is stupid then those who came up with the proposal must be stupid also, since stupid ideas can come from only stupid people.

So much for civility.

My goodness, would a Christian call people stupid just because they feel differently about an issue? I suppose so.

Yet why should we expect anything else.

Many of these same folks would deny healthcare for those with pre-existing conditions (maybe they believe what Romney said about no one dies because of a lack of healthcare) and are the same folks that would allow insurance companies to drop coverage for those who have serious health issues and deny women the right to make their own choices.

So why wouldn’t some of them label those who think we should increase the funding for our local schools and also think we should provide some additional funds for the local communities as stupid?
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October 23, 2012 at 4:29pm
Actually MMW you are violating the terms and conditions posted by Ron Fryar because you are totally off subject (which of course is typical and we should absolutely expect nothing else).

This is not an issue on who has the right to healthcare, birth control, insurance companies or education. This is not an issue concerning any party or candidate running for any office.

This letter and this subject is 100% about the referendum on the November 6th ballot and the decision people who actually live in Cannon County (unlike you) have to make.

We can either vote to increase taxes or the poorest members of our community or we can vote not to.

Try (and I know it is difficult for you), but try to stay on topic and not violate the terms and conditions set forth by Mr. Fryar.
October 24, 2012 at 6:50am
"Seems rather stupid to me."

Sorry Ron, but it seemed logical to me to refute the idea that an issue is stupid and by implication those who proposed it are stupid along with the stupid voters who vote for that tax, A tax that will give our schools much needed money for the educational process..
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October 24, 2012 at 9:17am
Again MMW you are off topic. No one accused anyone or any person of being "stupid"; those are your words and your words alone.

Once again this issue is about the citizens of Cannon County who live here, buy here and work which you do not and the decision they must make on raising their taxes. It is not about education, politics, parties or any other off topic points you attempt to make.

The idea of raising taxes on the poorest members of our community during an economy such as we are in and trying to suggest it is to provide our schools with much needed money while at the same time DECREASING the amount money the schools received in the 2013 budget is beyond stupid and one that I personally have talked with the Commissioners.
I know that it is difficult for you to understand actually being involved instead of complaining about everything, but some of us actually enjoy making a difference in our communities vs. sitting on your thrones complaining about the ones who do try.

Again, I know it is difficult but:

1. Worry about Murfreesboro since that is where you actually live.
2. Stay on the topic and stop violating the terms and conditions of posting comments.
October 24, 2012 at 1:13pm
"If the tax passes.......Seems rather stupid to me."

" No one accused anyone or any person of being "stupid"; those are your words and your words alone."

Parse it all you want Corey but you have said the tax is stupid and by inference those who proposed it are stupid and by inference those who vote for it are stupid.

The introduction of the word "stupid" came from you--no one else.

All I said was "If you are interested in the education of our young people then you need to vote for this increase. If you have no interest, then vote against the increase" and you responded with the stupid comment.


October 25, 2012 at 5:40am
Corey after reading this comment by you again this AM "No one accused anyone or any person of being "stupid"" and then looking back at your first use of the word in the comment where you said the tax "Seems rather stupid to me." I knew then that "Romnesia" had spread right into the Cannon County Republican leadership.

Sad but true.


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October 25, 2012 at 6:26am
As I am getting bored with your inane nonsense (it usually takes less time than this), what you say has no bearing on this letter or anything else in life for that matter

Again, you are totally off topic and violating the terms set forth by Mr. Fryar.

This is 100% about the people who live here in Cannon County which you do not. This is not about Murfreesboro and this is not about education, politics, parties or anything you have posted.

What is sad, but true, is you have no other goal in life but to complain about nothing, while doing nothing and saying nothing. And once again, it is a little stalkerish the way you follow me around, but I know you are obsessed with me so I do understand.

The problem with all of your rants other than being off topic is simply they make no sense. If education were truly the issue then the Cannon County Commissioners would have not voted to reduce the budget of the schools for 2013.

Not knowing that and simply wanting to argue with me makes everything you say look and sound well, rather stupid.
October 26, 2012 at 6:33am
Vote yes!
One penny out of one hundred pennies spent on taxable products sold here in this county will add an estimated $225,000 into the funds available to educate our youth
.
I have had or will have had eleven family members go thru the school system in this county.
.
It does not “Seem rather stupid to me” to invest in the future which will be in the hands of the children we educate now.

When someone in a leadership role of the local Republican Party labels this investment as something that “Seems rather stupid to me” I liken that comment to the comments of Republican Akins’ “legitimate” raped women can shutdown the biological process of becoming pregnant and Republican Mourdock’s comment that women who are raped and become pregnant they have received a gift from God.

All three of those comments do indeed, seem rather stupid to me.
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October 26, 2012 at 11:45am
VOTE NO!

When an self-proclaimed atheist Democrat who is more liberal than Nancy Pelosi tells you that raising taxes on the poorest members of our community is a good idea despite the fact they do not live in this county then there is no doubt that what they are saying is STUPID! Remember also that this is the same individual who is also on record encouraging people to commit a felony crime by “voting often”.

Also the same individual who has written comments using multiple login names and met Dwight Eisenhower, fought in three different wars, has five brothers, lives in Murfreesboro and walks on water if you can believe all of that non-sense!
October 27, 2012 at 8:19am
My friends in management at Pillsbury are still chuckling this AM. Noting how easy it is to prick the bubble of ostentatiousness.
The Elders are most likely surprised at the vehemence and bigotry and hope a return from backsliding at the next meeting.
The former co-editor would probably just say “Typical .....” and remind all of the e-mails received.

PS
Parked behind the old coop and tried that above the weir–all I got is wet feet–better delete that one.
Remember, vote early and often and Yes each time –wish I had a Memphis Library card.
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October 27, 2012 at 12:25pm
Blah, blah, blah, lie, lie, lie is all I hear out of your keyboard MMW.

That and venomous spew in an attempt to make yourself sound more fluent in the English language after you have spent 20 minutes researching some obscure words on Google.

Tell all of your so called "friends in management" to come find me and we can chuckle together because I know them all after 20 plus years.
Invite Vice President Joe Biden and we can all watch both of you stick your foot in your mouth clear up to your knee.

I am sure you and old Joe are on a first name basis; after all you did save his life when the Titanic sank and you gave up your spot on the lifeboat. Of course, he probably remembers you under your other alias "dailyreader".

And I know you miss the former co-editor, but those are the breaks when arrogance rules your life. You should know all about that. Remember the old saying “what goes around, comes around”.
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October 27, 2012 at 8:17pm
FYI we did not cut the school budget of the money, we just made them use their own money which was being held in a different category. They had $800,000.00 in reserves for special projects. We just didn"t give them anymore money than they needed.
Bob Stoetzel
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October 28, 2012 at 6:36am
Bob as I am sure you know, once the Commissioners set the allocated tax rate for the schools it cannot be changed unless the student enrollment decreases. It has been decreasing for several years now and the trend shows that it will decrease even more in our future. The tax rate for 2013 for the schools system is lower than in 2012.
What you say is true that you did make the school system use money they held in a different category however, you guys did cut / reduce the amount of money allocated to the school system coming out of our property taxes. There is no disputing that.

As I am sure you remember there were several people there from the school system at your meeting complaining about that very fact. I thought you guys did a good job of helping them understand that even by reducing the allocated taxes to their budget that it was only about a $10,000 reduction in their overall budget. The amount one cent revenue generates is higher this year than it was last year which allows you to cut /reduce the amount of property taxes allocated to the school systems without cutting into their funds as much. And by doing so, you do make them use money they had in reserves.

It is also something I fully support you guys doing.

This has never been about funding education at all. MMW simply wants to argue because he has no other life than to follow me around on post to post. As I stated before; if this increase in our sales tax passes the education level stays the same in every facet. If this increase in our sales tax fails then the education level stays the same in every facet. What MMW is trying to argue has absolutely no bearing on the letter or anything else in life for that matter. He is simply a bully trying to argue to make his life feel more complete.
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