Dear Editor,
I made this presentation to the Rutherford County Commission June 26, 2009. The Commission subsequently voted 17 to 4 to raise taxes.
Mayor Burgess and members of the County Commission:
I appear before you in opposition to the second consecutive year of raising property taxes.
I represent the voice of We the people. It was We the people who brought county government into existence in order to help us administer to some of our basic needs.
We consented to be taxed to pay for the basic needs we requested. A fair tax is a tax that is to pay for the services we have requested.
Unfortunately about 20 to 30 years ago a new philosophy crept into our government without the consent of the governed. It was the concept that it was legal to rob Peter through taxation to pay for the benefits afforded to Paul.
If I as an individual went to my neighbor to demand he pay for services rendered to me it would be viewed as criminal extortion. Why is it that if I elect someone to government to demand payment from my neighbor to pay for the services rendered to me it would no longer be criminal extortion? Not only am I forced to pay for the services rendered to my neighbor but also if I refuse to pay my property will be confiscated by my government and sold to pay for their services.
This so-called legalization of extortion has opened the door for special interest individuals, groups and bureaucracies to use our government to extort the taxpayers of this county into paying for their selfish profit and benefit. This is not only happening in our county government but in our city, state and national government.
We no longer have a government of, for or by the people but by stealth and deceit we now have a government of, for and by powerful special interest groups who seek to use our government for their own selfish profit and benefit. They seek to regulate and dictate every facet of our lives from cradle to grave and force us to pay and go into debt to pay for these un-requested, unwanted services.
Enough is enough!
This is the year We the people have decided to take back control of our government from these special interest groups and restore our government to We the people.
Today you will have an opportunity to decide if you want to cast your lot with We the people or with the special interest groups and continue extorting us taxpayers.
? Clarence Jaeger, cjaeger@comcast.net
To Fling or Not to Fling
Rutherford County will soon be presenting a bid to the TSSAA Board of Control to host the TSSAA Spring Fling tournaments for 2010 and 2011. Spring Fling is the state high school championships in five sports: baseball, softball, track and field, tennis and boys’ soccer.
The Spring Fling bid requires that we guarantee a significant amount of money to TSSAA before the tournaments even take place. The minimum bid is $225,000 per year for a two-year contract. It is our feeling that an amount much greater than the minimum will be required to win the bid. We would like to take the pulse of the community and determine the level of interest in keeping these tournaments in the county, before composing a bid.
If the desire of the community is to keep Spring Fling, then we need everyone’s participation and ask that you consider partnering with us to help secure the tournaments.
Spring Fling is a massive undertaking to host but provides a huge boost to the local economy the week before Memorial Day?previously one of the slowest periods of the year for hotels, restaurants, retail stores and other businesses in Rutherford County.
We ask for your support to help us keep the tournaments in our community, if you feel they are indeed worth keeping.
To submit your comments, visit rutherfordchamber.org/ tssaa/participation-form.php
? Mona Herring, Vice President, Convention and Visitors Bureau, (615) 278-2014
