On Thu, 1 Feb 2001 11:14:00 -0500, "M Weiss" wrote:
>Neuman - Ruether wrote in message
><3a796a7c.826778@newsstand.cit.cornell.edu>...
>>On Wed, 31 Jan 2001 22:58:13 -0500, "M Weiss"
>> wrote:
>>[...most deleted...]

>>>Being from a town that actually sent out forms requiring the residents to
>>>list their personal property for the new Personal Property Tax, where the
>>>form listed items such as "TVs, Stereos, Personal Computers, jewelry,
>>>diamonds, etc", I am not surprised at the lengths the government will go
>to
>>>to increase their revenues. 92% of our income goes to the gov in some way
>>>shape or form already. Isn't it enough?
>>[...]

>>The above is unacceptable - I would have led a tax revolt!
>>Where were the people who should have been fighting the
>>passage of such nonsense?! (I live in a pretty activist
>>town [we even have our own currency - IthacaHours], and
>>this would not have had even the slightest possibility of
>>passing here!) I lived in Seattle for seven years, where
>>all businesses were saddled with an "inventory" tax, which
>>required counting everything down to paper clips, causing
>>businesses to close while this nonsense was done...
>>Just say, "NO!" (BTW, I'm a "liberal-Democrat"...;-)

>In our case, the town just did it (as it does many things, like try to
>collect tax on unregistered motor vehicles long after they're junked) back
>in 1989-90, but we didn't fill ours out and we've not heard anything since,
>so I would imagine that's been the response of the townspeople at-large. But
>hey, we have a $93M high school with a full-scale observatory and two
>Olympic size swimming pools! :-)

Democracy requires public participation - in more than just
voting. If you and/or others appeared at town government
meetings and school board meetings regularly expressing
your views, and if necessary, gathered petitions in
opposition to such as the above, the town government
(and school board) would quickly get the idea... If not,
work to vote them out of office in the next election.
Don't just complain - do something!