Property Tax and FairTax

This starts what I hope is a series on taxation.

As always, I'm controversial and the topic is controversial.

In my opinion, being the son of a disable combat veteran, no one has a right to complain that taxes cost them an arm and a leg.

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Lots of men have paid 100 percent of their future earnings in a military tax. Their wives, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons also helped pay this military tax. When those who have paid the most get a rebate program, then I'll start talking about fairness in government imposed fees. MAYBE!

I'd rather talk about systemic unfairness created by private wealth. But, that's just talking.

We do make nice replacement arms and legs for our vets. Some eventually get comfortable in new transplant skin after severe burns. But, this side of Heaven, nothing for the dead.

Now, on to a discussion of property taxes.

Various Republicans, like Speaker Glenn Richardson want to do away with property taxes.

What would you lose?

Here's a story on how your community could lose more than an arm and a leg.

Six years ago the residents of Suwanee voted to more than double their property taxes. The payoff: a boost from 28 acres of green space to more than 270, and a feeling of investment in their hometown. "People here participate in the community in a very thorough way," says resident Dave Williams, 40, a partner in a marketing company and father of two. "They don't just live here and work or play somewhere else."

That's abundantly clear at the newly developed town center. Built on a heavily trafficked downtown corner, it meshes park space, retail and office properties and housing into one multiuse plaza -- and residents have embraced it in a big way. On summer afternoons kids of all ages splash in the park's interactive fountains. On weekends Town Center Park's outdoor amphitheater holds concerts and other events. Behind the appealing row of restaurants and shops are townhouses and single-family homes. Housing is reasonable -- you can get into a nice four-bedroom for $250,000 -- and schools are topnotch.

As for jobs, Dish Network and Southeastern Freight are the area's biggest employers, but Google, Hewlett-Packard and other tech concerns also have offices nearby. Surrounding Gwinnett County and Atlanta (30 miles away) provide even more opportunities. Suwanee offers a tax break to companies that bring in more than 25 high-paying jobs.

Though the town has planned recent development deliberately, the area around interstate 85, which runs through Suwanee's southeastern corner, lacks for aesthetics but not for congestion. Still, the rest of the city has a lot to offer.

"We're blanketed with parks to use," says Brenda Everson, a mother of three boys. "We're very nature-y. Instead of going to a movie, we'd rather be out hiking or playing ball. It's nice to have those options."

What does Speaker Richardson want you to do? Become dependent on the GOP to plan your hometown? Let corporations make decisions about your life style?

The town being described is Suwanee, Georgia. Suwanee was voted the 10th best place to live in America (CNN).

What did the voters think about doubling their tax rate? Well, they voted to do it. And they took control of their town and their lives.

As the grandson of a Kentucky coal miner, I urge you to say no to the company town, the company store, and the private city.

Destroying your way of life one new law at a time.

No property taxes = No local control

Keep your right to vote as a meaningful right.