SPLOST

Ok, I'll admit, when I first started paying attention to all this SPLOST stuff I was against it mainly because people I respect (Maurice Atkinson, Kenny B and Charles E, etc) were against it. And then others I respect (Mike Ford, NewTown, the Chamber) were for it... so that made it more complicated.

And then I thought about it some more, and realized, "well Damn, I don't want to be taxed more, it doesn't make sense now". And I paid attention some more, mainly thanks to the Kenny B and Charles E show, and realized that we never did agree on the service delivery strategy- and the timing for this SPLOST is rather interesting- given that we never reached the previous mentioned agreement.

And then I read the SPLOST. And I Googled it. I found- on Wikipedia, which could be problematic- that legally a SPLOST can only last 5 years in the State of Georgia. Granted, given the sourcing, that could be wrong but I haven't found anything that states that is otherwise. But this SPLOST will be 6 years. Why?

And I read the SPLOST some more. The only thing specifically mentioned in it, spending and funding wise, is the courthouse. Not schools. Not Luther Williams field. The courthouse. And while I am all for the courthouse being rebuilt, something is just damn fishy here.

Why is all this money being spent advertising voting for it? It seems to be a collossal waste of money to me. All of those thousands of dollars could be spent on textbooks rather than on political spin.

It also seems to me that this is one of the greatest examples of political, racist pandering. Go after the School Boards to get the votes of concerned parents. Hire David Lucas to go after the black votes. Get NewTown Macon on board to go after downtown. Get the Chamber on board to go after the business votes. It's just one more way to divide the different entities in this town. Why not just sell it on what it is and let people decide for themselves? It's actually quite crafty. They are playing on the insecurities that each group in this town has and using it to their advantage, rather than trying to unite these different interest groups under one banner and one cause they try to find every different angle why each group would vote for this SPLOST.

The following is my letter to the editor that I submitted:

I’m confused. I read the proposed SPLOST. I didn’t see ANY specifications for where the money would go except for the courthouse. I did not see anything specifying that monies would go to the City Auditorium, Luther Williams, the Halls of Fame, or anything like that. I think it’s incredibly deceptive to try and purport this SPLOST as paying for those items unless it is specifically laid out in the language. Otherwise, there are no guarantees. It seems as if they are trying to tie as many special interest groups to it as possible to garner more support for something that is so unpopular.
What I don’t understand is why two entities outside the government I very much respect are supporting this SPLOST. It is being misrepresented as a chance to provide “stimulus” to the economy when in reality it is another way for the government to take our money to fund their pet projects.
In many ways, Macon is heading towards being a microcosm of what many in government are wanting the country at large to become: an over taxed, socialist economy, in which the government must bail out everyone just as they did with the banking industry. Anytime someone is in such a haste to spend my hard earned money I am suspicious. Why not just put the SPLOST on the ballot next year? Is my money not good enough, or deserve enough thought, to be pondered over carefully? Apparently not. This is being purported as “just” a one percent tax, when in reality it is another 1% on everything we do. Think about how much money you spend in a year, and tack on another 1 %. Frankly, I can’t afford it. And our economy cannot afford it either, not when it will take 3 years to provide these “jobs” some claim it will create. Something else that is wrong with our country as a whole is wanting something NOW- so we’ll buy it on credit (i.e.: bonds) and incur several millions of dollars of interest, as they are wanting to do with the bonds proposed.
Let me be clear- I’m all for progress. I love downtown- and will support just about anything that can help downtown. But this SPLOST is seriously flawed. And no one has made it clear to me why we cannot wait another year to get it passed- why it has to happen RIGHT NOW, especially when it is just in the past few months being marketed to the masses as so urgent. Not only that, but the fact that our local leaders are so heatedly divided on the points is just one more reason to not vote for THIS SPLOST.