With the recent acts of four County Commissars, er, Commissioners, and eight City Council members--all of whom voted to raise taxes at a time when many families are struggling to get by with diminished incomes, falling asset values and rising expenses--it is clear that the house cleaning poised to take place at the National level needs to move down to the local level.

Government officials at all levels are willing to trim a little around the edges and then vote a tax increase to make up the difference. Too bad private employers and employees can’t just wish for extra “free” money also. The private sector is the only part of this country that has to ride the business cycle without shock absorbers. The actions by our elected officials simply show that many of them aren’t up to the task of tough decision-making that private citizens must rise to and face every day.

Our THANKS goes to County Commissioner Ken Mayfield and City Council members Ann Margolin, Dave Neumann, Sheffie Kadane, Jerry Allen, Linda Koop, Ron Natinsky and Mayor Tom Leppert for having the courage to vote “NO” to a tax increase. Our THANKS goes to the City Manager who submitted a budget that made an increase unnecessary.

Our opprobrium goes to County Commissioners John Wylie Price, Mike Cantrell, Maurine Dickey and Judge Jim Foster, along with City Council Members Angela Hunt, Delia Jasso, Pauline Medrano, Dwaine Carraway, Vonciel Jones Hill, Steve Salazar, Carolyn Davis and Tennell Atkins who, when the going got tough, decided to offload their responsibility onto the taxpayers. 

Shame on those elected officials. Now its up to us to throw them out. We pledge to do just that.