Rebuttal to GF Herald Opinion

Below is a rebuttal to the GF Herald submitted by a supporter of M2:
In the February 4 issue of the Grand Forks Herald Opinion Tom Dennis tries to justify that Measure 2 is a very bad idea from the government’s & business point of view. But what about all the rest of North Dakota residents? He does not mention a single positive reason why it is on the ballot in the first place.

We all know why Measure 2 is on the ballot. It will free the homeowners from the perpetual serfdom to the government and stop any further abuse of the taxpayers. For Tom Dennis, and others associated with the “keep it LOCAL”, to ignore these important facts is truly amazing. But what is more amazing is that Tom Dennis is implying that the group responsible for Measure 2, is trying to destroy the local form of government in North Dakota.

It is clear that Tom Dennis and the “keep it LOCAL” organization have not read the facts about Measure 2. But even if they have not read it, there is no excuse to condemn M2 with dogmatic rhetoric that it is inferior to the status quo of the present property tax concept. I don’t know of any other tax that violates our basic rights as much as the property tax does. How can Measure 2 be inferior when it will restore our basic rights?

Tom Dennis is implying that there will be a tax revenue vacuum to the local governments if Measure 2 is passed. He will blush with shame after he reads the whole text of Measure 2. But even for people who don’t want to read the whole text of Measure 2, it is illogical that there would be a tax vacuum to the local governments. We all understand that all of our tax dollars come from our personal incomes, including property taxes. By eliminating the property tax does not mean that the over all tax burden will automatically drop by the amount we pay in present property taxes. It just means that the tax base is changed from home values to personal incomes.

So, why is Tom Dennis and the “keep it LOCAL” group preaching doomsday to local governments by merely changing the tax base for our local government tax revenue? At the present time, there is an established hierarchy of administration between the taxing districts, county, city and township governments. That will not change when Measure 2 is passed. Measure 2 will just make it more efficient to administer the tax revenue to the local governments.

We constantly hear about government waste and duplication. North Dakota’s present property tax concept is no exception to this duplication and waste. One does not have to be a member of a “think tank” to see what obvious waste and duplications will be eliminated when Measure 2 is passed. Tom Dennis and the “keep it LOCAL” group’s nostalgia, for the status quo property tax, leaves a lot to be desired. It is like insisting to use an antiquated outdoor toilet when we have indoor plumbing. And who thinks that is is OK for the local government to pass judgment on how wealthy we are by sending out an assessor to snoop at our homes?

Read the editorial here:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/228554/group/Opinion/