Sunday, November 2

WE HAVE THE POWER LETS USE IT


            We the people of Egremont have a very important decision to make this November 4th. Are we going to allow ourselves to be taxed into oblivion for every little thing that some special interest group wants or will we make a stand against this blatant grab for our hard earned money? It seems that the more we give the more they want to take. It’s an endless cycle. Government can’t make money they can only take it from the people who earn it. I understand the need for taxation. Taxes are necessary for common necessities but not for luxuries.
            A neighboring town passed a new property tax under the guise of community preservation. How does taking money from people who work several jobs just to make ends meet preserve a community? It doesn’t! This does more to destroy a community than preserve it. The more money taken from people who can’t afford to pay the less they are able to spend on preserving their own property. Then property values go down thus destroying the community. This so a small group of people can fund a few “worthy” projects. Let’s look at a couple of these so called “worthy” projects that are being considered for funding with these monies.
Someone purchased an old building and spent several million dollars developing it. This property is now going to be used for their business.  The business owners are asking that 150 thousand dollars from this preservation fund be given to them for “historical restoration”. Ironically this building was never planned to be used as a private business. So much for historicity.
Another “worthy” project being considered is a large property that had been vacant and overgrown for decades. Someone purchased this property for a very low price and has plans to turn it into a profitable multi use business. The owners are asking for about a half million dollars from this fund for approved preservation purposes.
Do these people really need the money? Of course not; if they can afford to put several million into purchasing and developing these properties then they certainly don’t need our money. They’re asking for the money because it’s free to them and it is there for the taking. The question is, who are they taking the money from? This is taxing the poor to fund the rich.
There is a small group of people in Egremont who have their own special agenda. They see other towns getting a lot of money under the pretext of community preservation. They see a big pot of money and they want a piece of it. This agenda is not in the best interest of our town as a whole; it benefits a few at the expense of many. These people are trying to advance their agenda at the expense of the entire town and we the people will have to pay for it if we allow them to get away with it.  
Now I have a reputation for being a bit outspoken and I am. But when you look at my commentary I simply say aloud what people are thinking but won’t say. Now I hear voices of dissent coming from many people who disagree with the CPA but feel powerless to do anything about it. They feel that the election process is stacked against them and there’s nothing they can do about it. I can only say that we the people have the power to stop this. But we not only have to get ourselves out to vote; we need to get our friends and neighbors out to the polls. WE THE PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER. We are a true democracy where every vote is equal and no vote is more equal than any other. Please come out and vote no for the CPA because the only vote that doesn’t count is the vote that isn’t cast.


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