Shearing Sheep
To the Editor:
County Judge Dan Mueller did something unthinkable this week. As a locally elected politician he actually told the truth. “Levying Taxes is like shearing a sheep…stop when you get down to the skin.” There is so much about this statement that is wrong headed. The first of which is that he views Fayette County residents as sheep that he has a right to shear without permission. I though his promise was to never forget that “I work for you (residents of Fayette County.)” Is he confused? Does he think we, the people he works for, want him to take more of our money? Or has he indeed forgotten that he works for us? This from the man who’s campaign promises were common sense government and keeping taxes low. Right.
I read a lot in Tuesday’s paper about the inflation rates negatively impacting county departments. But interestingly, not a word of concern about how raising property taxes (that Mueller wants to raise even higher) have impacted Fayette County residents who are also trying to live under the radical inflation rates handed down by, you guessed it, our governments federal, state, and local. I know people who have been forced out of their homes, landlords who have had to pass property tax raises directly onto their tenants which means that those who can’t afford to own property are forced to take one step farther away from that most basic element of human flourishing. Do our local politicians not talk to residents? Your tax raises are killing us. Judge Mueller thinks there is still some wool on the sheep’s back that he can trim off to serve his purposes…meanwhile all the sheep I know are already bleeding.
Our local government officials seem to see only one solution to rising costs. More taxes, higher pay for government employees, and bigger government. Never have they acted upon the foundational principle of the men who founded our country. Free people. limited, small, efficient, government, and taxation rates that would never dream of reaching the 10% tithe God demands of His people. If these were once again the guiding principles of our local government we would read in the paper about local government fighting to cut taxes, tightening county budgets and belts, looking hard at miss-managed county funds (the article said the sheriff’s department has been overspending for some time now and the solution Judge Mueller proposes is a department-wide 10% raise not a public reprimand and a demand that the Sheriff to do better.) When will we the people of Fayette County demand better from those in local government?
Judge Mueller, if the proposed budget raises are that important, act like the rest of us do and prioritize them within the means at your disposal.And if that isn’t possible then have the guts to tell county departments “No.” Refuse to raise local taxes. Shrink the government. Free the people. Do that and you have my vote in the next election cycle. Jesus is Lord and He laid down His life for the sheep…do stop fleecing them please.