Get the numbers first before proposing changes

To the editor: As a professed bleeding heart liberal, a trait I apparently share with the editor of this paper, I was intrigued by the recently proposed decrease in property taxes within the city of Allegan by 0.25 mills.

On the other hand, I think that where liberals like me, the editor of our paper and councilmen Kowalski and Williams might get a bum rap is when we present ideas that while not exactly half-baked seem not completely baked or at least not completely thought through.

For instance, how did they determine that a reduction of 0.25 mills would be enough to not contribute “to the many foreclosures and bankruptcies we see happening”? Was this an arbitrary figure or did they consult Fulton Sheen’s economist friends at Hillsdale College?

While there may be some for whom this decrease may mean the difference between sinking or swimming, I expect there are many more for whom it wouldn’t matter one way or the other. Consequently, this proposal seems like a pretty blunt instrument to address the concerns of the former few.

If indeed a problem does exist, it might be better addressed through tax deferments given on an individual basis rather than an across-the-board cut.

Conversely, at a time when most units of government are straining to retain every “drop in the bucket,” it would be nice to have spelled out what we would lose with the elimination of $45,000 from the current budget.

Frankly, as it stands now, the idea smacks of the now discredited “summer gas tax holiday.” So, before the rest of the council goes all “Hillary Clinton”—or John McCain—on us: Show us the numbers!

David L. Ohmart
Allegan