Letter: Enough with the taxes already

Editor:

This election there are three entities wanting more of your money: Open space, the jail and the animal shelter.

We must all live within our means, so when will government be forced to live within its means? When governments doesn’t live within its means, they just take more from you – I ask how much is enough tax? With the coming employer mandates of Obamacare, you may want to consider keeping every penny you have to pay for your health care insurance.

But there is some good news. This cycle we have an opportunity to actually shrink government! The open space tax is being put to a vote four years before it is due to expire, why? To avoid the Obamacare train wreck, maybe? Supporters of county issue 1a are asking us to indebt our children and grandchildren for 29 years – this new tax would not sunset until 2043! It is immoral to indebt children who are not even born.

From our founding, government was not to own land. Yet currently, over 60 percent of Larimer County land is “owned” by one government entity or another – again I’ll ask, how much is enough?

And why do we need another local tax to subsidize GOCO money? We were assured this is what the lottery (GOCO) money was to provide. When they tried to take the Roberts family ranch (in the same family for 140 years), we had county natural resource employees refer to this ranch and open lands as fitting into “our portfolio.” If citizens paid for these lands, why is it the county’s portfolio? Look up WildlandsProjectRevealed.com to see what the open space accumulation is really all about. If you do not own property… you become property!

Government’s primary job is to protect the citizen and if that protection means jailing criminals shouldn’t that be the first and primary funding for government? Why is a separate revenue stream necessary for correctional facilities instead of using the general funds for their primary purpose, protecting the citizenry?

As a responsible animal owner, I love animals as much as anyone and hate to see animals suffer, but why should we all pay for the vision of a few? If you feel a new animal shelter is warranted, by all means open your personal wallet and pay for one. The county is currently over 35 million dollars in debt; the animal shelter will add at least another 16 million to that. Is 51 million in debt enough? Why not let this be an individual choice? After all, isn’t that what the left advocates? Choice?

Keep your vision out of my wallet! Remember that it is not how much money the government takes, it is how the money is being spent. Only a NO vote on issues 1a, 1b and 200 will ensure your change will stay in your wallet!

Tom Niichel
Wellington