Bob McNamara, Upham

The amendment being advocated is titled Unfair Property taxes. I wonder how they can be unfair when the people you elected are the ones who passed those taxes. Whatever taxing authority you wish to refer to, they are people you elected and placed in a position to establish the tax base.

It would certainly be more honest to say they didn’t do want you wanted by allowing certain people who own buildings to not pay property taxes on renovations, or allowing builders to not pay property taxes on places they may have built or allowing certain military retirees to not pay property taxes or allow certain land not to be taxed, or, or, or. But your property taxes are not unfair. Unfair is that the tax burden is not equally shared. Unfair is people traveling to Bismarck, for example, having to pay a lodging tax assessed by people they had no vote to elect. That is taxation without representation.

Anytime you hear people talk about the WWI and WWII generation it is done with reverence. Those in that generation are thought of as the greatest generation. Do you know what the people of those generations did? They built roads, water systems, electric systems, schools, court houses, and many other things in this country. What they didn’t do is cry about their property taxes because those taxes are what built the country, albeit at times with help from other tax sources. Property taxes were no easier for their generation but they understood the need to build a better society; that you have a responsibility not just to yourself but to society.

Everyone sees something they want. Make no mistake the media has bought into this unfair property tax hook line and sinker so don’t expect a fair analysis from them. People want help with child care, lakes, parks, school meals, senior meals, better transportation systems, handicap access, etc. But we think they just appear by magic. Most people have something they don’t use, for example I no longer need to have child care or schools, but society needs them so you support them.

How do we control property taxes? We elect people who are honest enough and smart enough to spend money wisely. You don’t have to have Taj Mahal buildings. Then you lobby the legislature to continue with and enhance the property tax rebate using the ample reserves in the state. Give Primary Residence Owners the money to use how they want to reduce their tax burden or buy food or whatever. Local people should be deciding on what they do locally.