Increased taxes will affect families

Any time we talk about levies and bonds, it is important to remember they are simply taxes, specifically taxes on homes and property. We need to be very careful that we don’t endanger our neighbors’ ability to keep their homes, for the sake of something unnecessary.

Regarding the proposed Cheney High School bond, it is easy to toss around numbers and forget the tax hike is a significant amount for many families. The $.75 per $1,000 valuation is about $100-$200 per family. What if a family can’t afford this? Would it really help a child if her home is foreclosed on, as long as she has access to a state-of-the-art auditorium?

My family’s property taxes are already almost $2,000/year! Rather than adding to that amount with a huge new bond, I can better help children in the community by feeding and clothing my own. Those who have the funds and desire to contribute are always free to donate as much as they want to the school district every year. Will passing this enormous bond guarantee our children a better education? NO.

Actually, there are great educational benefits in rethinking this whole issue. We can teach our children to reduce, reuse and recycle by using what they already have. We can show them through example that wants are not needs. We can teach that debt is to be avoided whenever possible, that we use self-control to save for big purchases, that searching for solutions, rather than just throwing money at a problem, can be satisfying as well as successful.

We can also make sure they understand what the terms “conflict of interest” and “collusion” are, and that we need to investigate very carefully when there are allegations thereof. Far more community input is needed from the taxpayers before we agree to volunteer our own and our neighbors’ money. Those who foot the bill should have more input. We can surely come up with creative solutions requiring much less taxation.

Marjorie Powell

Cheney