Election 2016, Local Issues

I've resisted posting anything about the presidential race, mainly because there is nothing that I could (or would be willing to) write that would change anyone's mind about which candidate they will vote for.  I have friends, relatives and acquaintances on both sides of the fence, and keeping the peace is tough enough without me throwing a can of high test gasoline on the fire.

Instead, I'm going to attack the local issues.  This is where the local government is demanding more of your money for projects that benefit a very select group of people at the expense of everyone.  Here we go:


13. Sylvania Township, Precinct G, Fresh Farmers Thyme Market, Local Liquor Option
Fresh Farmers Thyme Market is a new store, and they want a liquor license. First of all, they shouldn't need a special license to sell a perfectly legal item, but it's a way for the government to make money without having to work for it, and it's yet another regulation the government can impose upon the entrepreneur.  I'm voting yes, of course.

17. Sylvania Local School District 5.7 mills, additional, operating expenses & permanent improvements, for continuing period of time.
Not just no, but Hell No!
The avaricious idiots on the Sylvania School Board tried this one last election, and they got shot down.  They've tried almost every election, and they've tried special elections.  The citizens have voted against it.  Now, just like a whiny child, they're back again with an even higher tax levy.  The worse part about this is that it's a property tax, yet everyone votes on it.
The administration of the Sylvania Schools is overstaffed and overpaid.  They've got people ironing socks and making coffee on the payroll.  The teachers aren't far behind that either.  They get a holiday schedule that the rest of the working world has never dreamed of, benefits that are absolutely sinful, and a very comfortable salary.
Most of our property tax money goes to the school system to keep these fat cats in cream.  I've had enough of this kind of crap to last me a lifetime.  I'm not paying more, and in fact my taxes should decrease, if anything.
I'm currently being forced out of my home because of these property taxes.  Prospective buyers have seen my house, would like to buy it, but can't afford to live in it - because of the staggeringly high property taxes.

18. TARTA, 1.5 mills, renewal, 10 years (note: overlapping Wood county)
No.  Why is public transportation being funded by the taxpayer?  Why not run it like any business and see about making a profit on it?  TARTA hasn't been responsible with its budget in years.  Let 'em tighten their belts a little.

19. Lucas County, 9-1-1 Public Safety Communication Systems, 0.7 mill, renewal, operation and capital improvements, 5 years
No.  The 911 service can get along quite nicely on what it's getting right now.

20. Lucas County, Children Services, 1.8 mills, renewal and increase, support, placement, care, 5 years
No.  They not only want a renewal, they want more.  Hell no.  We can't afford it, and don't come whining to me about it's for the children.  It isn't.  It's for the government.

21. Lucas County, Imagination Station, 0.17 mill, renewal, operation and maintenance, 5 years
No.  I've been to the Imagination Station, and it's a waste.  Shotgun Bob and I took Bob's son, Albert, and from that visit I learned that the Imagination Station is constructed as a primate cage.  TPS dumps their school kids into the cage and calls it a field trip.  The little monsters run wild for a few hours, then get picked up and taken back to their regular cage.  The place is ridiculous, and the exhibits are simplified physics demonstrations constructed (as much as possible) to look like video games.


22. Lucas County, Toledo Public Library, 3.7 mills, renewal and increase, current expenses, 5 years
Hell no.  I've been to the Toledo Public Library, and it isn't a library any longer.  It's a... I don't know.  An indigent adult entertainment center?  Inner city fat ladies sit at the computer terminals all day surfing the 'net, while their babies swing from the chandeliers and throw food and feces at anyone looking for reading materials.  No, I'm not paying for this anymore.  Clean the place up, police it, and then come and talk to me.

23. Lucas County, Toledo Zoo, 0.75 mill, renewal and decrease, maintenance and operation, 5 years
No.  I used to support the zoo, but I'm fed up with it.  The zoo wants to expand, just like every other part of the government, and that takes money.  My money.

This is government at its finest.  They whine and demand more money, but there is no regulation about how the money is spent.  Meanwhile the streets in Toledo are passing as a field test for ATVs, and the entire infrastructure is decaying to the point where it actually will fail.  When that happens, guess who pays to have it fixed - and that's on top of the money they want now.

Instead of the standard For and Against options on the ballot, there should be a third option: Against, and pillory the governmental officials who put this on the ballot.