Parish
Twisted Logic on Housing
RECEIVED Mon., Sept. 22, 2003
Howdy y'all
Austinites find themselves digging a deep financial hole for housing. With no meaningful action from City Hall, many have hit rock bottom. Most city leaders say they would not support another property-tax rate increase unless retail sales-tax revenues keep falling. The message is clear: Keep digging.
How did this happen? City Hall's "managed growth" came straight out of a cartoon. The Popeye cartoon character named Wimpy states: "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Why continue to allow City Hall to speculate (gamble) and pimp the Austin-burger (incentives) to any Tom Corp., Dick Inc., and Harry.com that exist globally?
We should learn from our Texas Legislature. If you do not agree with what somebody is doing, levy fines against them.
To fine Austin's City Hall, to get them to care, you need to SOA (Shop Outside Austin). Planning to buy a high-dollar item or major appliance, don't buy it in Austin. Party outside Austin, too. Same goes for gasoline, clothes, and household necessities – you should SOA. There are plenty of outlet stores and Wal-Marts, etc. in towns around Austin.
Every time Austinites pay $100 in Austin for taxable goods, you pay the city sales tax of around $8. Don't pay Austin that $8, SOA and you fine City Hall. Why should Austinites pay and continue to supply free Austin-burgers to the Wimpys of the world?
Sixty percent of the American work force is said to be "blue collar" workers. It will only take a small percentage of hard-working Austinites to markedly decrease the city's sales-tax intake.
Live in Austin, support the small weird stores here, but spend the majority of your sales-tax dollars in the other towns in central Texas. SOA and you encourage City Hall to really care and exercise their humanity.
Austinites find themselves digging a deep financial hole for housing. With no meaningful action from City Hall, many have hit rock bottom. Most city leaders say they would not support another property-tax rate increase unless retail sales-tax revenues keep falling. The message is clear: Keep digging.
How did this happen? City Hall's "managed growth" came straight out of a cartoon. The Popeye cartoon character named Wimpy states: "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Why continue to allow City Hall to speculate (gamble) and pimp the Austin-burger (incentives) to any Tom Corp., Dick Inc., and Harry.com that exist globally?
We should learn from our Texas Legislature. If you do not agree with what somebody is doing, levy fines against them.
To fine Austin's City Hall, to get them to care, you need to SOA (Shop Outside Austin). Planning to buy a high-dollar item or major appliance, don't buy it in Austin. Party outside Austin, too. Same goes for gasoline, clothes, and household necessities – you should SOA. There are plenty of outlet stores and Wal-Marts, etc. in towns around Austin.
Every time Austinites pay $100 in Austin for taxable goods, you pay the city sales tax of around $8. Don't pay Austin that $8, SOA and you fine City Hall. Why should Austinites pay and continue to supply free Austin-burgers to the Wimpys of the world?
Sixty percent of the American work force is said to be "blue collar" workers. It will only take a small percentage of hard-working Austinites to markedly decrease the city's sales-tax intake.
Live in Austin, support the small weird stores here, but spend the majority of your sales-tax dollars in the other towns in central Texas. SOA and you encourage City Hall to really care and exercise their humanity.
Rick Hall
