| Ok first off, I should just leave this alone. But... |
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| By Cody Heitschmidt | |
| Friday, 15 August 2008 | |
| Last Updated ( Monday, 18 August 2008 ) |
I do this whole thing on my personal blog here about a theory I have that almost every dispute in the entire world can be traced back to a "I am right and you are Wrong" mentality.
Here's the definition.
You have an idea and you express it, probably kinda bullheadly
and then someone comes back with this extreme negative about the idea
you represented, so you go to guns defending it and it turns into an
argument that ego and pride and bull-headedness
completely prevent progress from ever happening. We have an incredible
example of my theory in action going on in a little building with a
dome in Washington D.C..
We also have a little bitty microcosm of the argument here.
Nicholas
came in and got a little sassy about something he felt passionate
about. We all do it! Then Patsy came in and maybe(????) (maybe
Patsy???) got a little sassy about taking the other side, not on the
Tree program, but on taxes! Again... We all do it. But.. when we do it
, in my opinion, it presents barriers to communication and progress.
All assumptions from here on out: (No Facts, so don't get sassy)
I think...
Nicholaus Wolenhaupt
doesn't really want us to not pay any taxes and lose police service and
fire service and road service and street sweepers and maybe even he
would admit we should probably have someone who takes care of the grass
and trees on city property. I also think he is very realistic about
wanting the water to come on when he turns the tap and the stuff to go
somewhere when he flushes. He just got carried away when he made his
presentation. Just and assumption, tell me if I am wrong.
and I think...
Patsy
and Jeremy L don't want wasted tax dollars and would in fact be happy
if taxes went down as long as no programs that they deemed neccessary were being eliminated because of it. Again... Just and assumption, tell me if I am wrong. I can handle it.
So..
Here's my theory:
Patsy and Jeremy L and Nicholaus Wolenhaupt
get together and realize in the long run that those two stances are
exactly the same. The stance you all have (I Think) is... we need some
taxes to get things accomplished but less taxes without losing programs
would be better????
Do both sides agree? That is definitely my opinion on taxes.
Is that impossible? NO!!!!!
Let's say that we take a program.... RCAT let's say RCAT.
It's here, it serves a purpose, it's good for the environment, good for
a certain part of the populous, could be good for more, makes it easier
for some folks to get around town to spend their money, so... good for
the economy. RCAT
is all good, except it is a pretty big tax dollar consumer that is
having to downsize because of budget restrictions. Could we all agree
on that?? If not chime in and counter, I would love if you chimed in
kinda civilized and all nice and thoughtful, but if you need to be
abrasive... I understand, happens to me as well.
Ok if by chance you do agree, move down here:
We
could solve this without tax dollars and very easily, use it! Get
everyone to use it. Don't sit and argue whether or not we need it,
realize it's here to stay and we need to use it. Crap... tip the
system, walk in there and pay a dollar instead of 80 cents on the days
when you can and just do the 80 cents when you can't. Remind people to
use it, put "USE RCAT"
in the signature of your emails. Don't allow the fact that you can't
use it all the time because of time constraints make you never ever use
it. Yeah we are all busy, but that one day a week that you are not busy
and can move a little slower, use RCAT. RCAT
is having to reduce their budget by $37,000 (I think that is right) for
next year because of a budget crunch. 60,000 people in Reno County, if
we all made a point to spend 80 cents on Rcat more than we would have already... 80 cents!!!!! We would put $48,000 more into the RCAT
budget and zero tax increase. If we did it twice, we would relieve
$96,000 in tax burden by $1.60 a piece to go to the mall twice or the
grocery store once and downtown once in a year.
Salt Museum:
Only
Underground Museum in the Western Freaking Hemisphere is sitting in our
little town. People are intensely upset at the tax burden it lays on
us. Others are intensely proud of the museum and love that we have it.
In my opinion... you both want the same thing. You want us to have a
Museum that can increase tourism and boost our economy and no one WANTS
it to be a tax burden. Some are ok
if it is and some aren't but no one actually wants it to be a burden,
please don't come back with "Museums are supposed to need funding",
that's crap I don't care what they are supposed to do, if we all pulled
together that thing could be generating revenue for the city/county.
Do
this: Send an email to everyone in your address book, right now and
talk about the best parts of the Salt Museum. Link to the Salt Museums
website www.undergroundmuseum.org
and ask all your Friends to forward the email, ask them as friends.
(How many of you will actually do this?) Then do this: plan one extra
trip out there. I know times are tough, no kidding I do they are for us
as well.. But save up if you have to, and spend the 13 dollars. I am
gonna guess that there are 30,000 full admission paying people in Reno
County. That's $390,000 we inject in to that place and remove it as a
tax burden. Don't sit in your chair and scream and yell about the Salt
Museum, even if you don't like it cause you think it is a tax drain,
it's here to stay... and the way to make it not be a tax drain is to
get it in the black each year.
Education:
Who
doesn't want are education system to continually get better? Anybody
willing to say we should cut more funding to education? But I would
love it if we could continually improve our Education system and not
continually raise tax levels. I would, I will pay them if they come but
can we make it better without a tax hike? YEP!!!
Do this: Participate, got to activities that have ridiculously cheap gate fees. That money goes back into the system. Fill the Salthawk
activities center to the brim for every event held in there and use
your free email to remind people or let them know about whats going on
there. Post it to whatsuphutch.com
get a group of friends to go. Or just sit home and say there is nothing
to do in Hutch. You can make the situation better in ways that are to
every one's liking.
Fun Valley:
Don't
even know if they pull tax dollars or not for Fun Valley, they
shouldn't have to. But it's our faults not theirs, if they do. Go there
any summer night. Crap see if you can ride RCAT
out there!!! The whole trip would cost you $1.30 to go out there and
watch a bunch of kids work there butts off and have a blast playing
sports. I know you can sit and find 50 things to be negative about on
this plan, or all of us could help Fun Valley put a couple hundred
thousand back into the community, by spending 3 or 4 dollars in 50
cents admissions a year. It's 50 freaking cents!!
ok
I am done, there is a middle ground that works for everybody, you just
gotta do it, get out and use the programs and help market them and you
will make them stay around longer as well as relieve the tax burden.
Just my thoughts.
Didn't your momma teach you to share? Share us.
Users' Comments (20) |
 08-18-2008 13:27, , Registered Of course I don't want unnessary taxes, or to raise them for no benefit, but I think there are things in a society that can be handled much better on a grand scale than an individual basis and most of the developed world has caught onto that except the US. My point was not directed at Mr. Wolenhaupt, but was a generalization. This idea that taxes are a horrible thing is a uniquely American perspective, and it holds us back. While I applaud your suggestions on these things - like the eighty cents for RCAT - it's essentially the same thing to pay that 80 cents in taxes if you're not going to use RCAT. I want RCAT, I want education, I want Fun Valley, I want the Underground Salt Museum, etc. etc. etc. And I'm willing to pay my fair share for them - even though I have no children and I've never been to Fun Valley or on RCAT. They're for the common good and I want them. I love the museum and want more of those things. I'm not a sports fan, so I might never go to Fun Valley or a school ball game, but I'm willing to support that in exchange for other citizens supporting things I like that they may never use - the museum or the library or an arts event or whatever. That is the whole point of living in a society and sharing the cost burden of all things that are for the good of our community and its citizens. You can make an argument that the museum and Fun Valley bring in lots of outside dollars too, but that's a whole different argument. My point is we need to leave behind the idea that taxes are a horrible thing. Taxes are one way we can work together to do wonderful things for everyone in our community. I'm not saying it's the only way, but it's one way. And if we just automatically think of taxes as a horrible thing, we're missing an opportunity. 08-18-2008 13:28, , Registered 
 08-18-2008 18:13, , Registered Great comment, but for the first time I am drawing the line in the sand. I completely disagree with your statement "it's essentially the same thing to pay that 80 cents in taxes if you're not going to use RCAT." Citizens getting out and participating in a service or amenity for the purpose of, well for any purpose really is totally different than the Government requiring us to pay for it. I am not a tax hater... I see the value in us giving our Government a revenue stream. I do however see the point of those who feel overburdened by taxes and I will definitely tell you as a business owner I would love to see some of my tax burden reduced. Don't you or Jeremy take that to mean that I want to start cutting social programs, not what I said. There is a time when I could go to KUSM or ride RCAT, just for the sake of it. IF we could get folks to ride RCAT enough that it was a Revenue generator and not consumer, think what we could do for other programs, that never have any chance of generating revenue. Same with KUSM, both of those things could potentially put $$$ back into the system, if us as locals got off our butts and put a few dollars a year into them as well as marketed them. I truly believe it is not the same to take my money no matter what as it is to accept my money voluntarily. I noticed Mr Bush thanked you and Jeremy for defending the use of taxes... I thank you as well, again I realize the need for taxes. Mr. Bush would you be interested if a group of private people got involved and continued to research developing the Wiley Building? With private dollars. I would! But I am also glad you spoke out against spending anymore tax dollars right now. That's what I am talking about, there is a time and a place to use private voluntary dollars and a time for taxes. 08-18-2008 21:04, , Registered While I think you're right it would be WONDERFUL if we could support everything like that through usage, I just don't think it's workable. Taxes are one way to accomplish those things. And, for me, I'd rather have the option to pay my eighty cents in taxes instead of trying to figure out how to do it otherwise. I get your point. My point is that I'm willing to pay my dollar, but I'm not going to chase down an RCAT bus to do it. I'm on the go all the time during the day so RCAT doesn't work for me - and that's cool - but I'm still willing to pay my dollar. You can apply that same thing to schools, fun valley, public golf courses, salt city splash, etc. etc. etc. If we relied only on usage I think we'd be in a world of hurt. I have no idea how much it costs to maintain the Carey Park golf course and if it costs anything to play it. I'm assuming it costs something. If we were supporting that only through usage, I'm guessing the fees would go up dramatically. I don't play golf. So, I could argue lets get rid of that, it's a waste. But, it is not a waste for everyone. And even though I don't use it, I'm willing to pay my dollar or three dollars or fifty cents or whatever it is. Again, I think it would be great if it could be supported through usage, but I don't think it's feasible. And, we could argue that RCAT is a necessary service and a public golf course is a luxury on top of that. But, I think a public golf course adds to our community, provides recreation for people, and improves the quality of life quotient in our community. So, even though I've never been on it, and probably never will be, I'm willing to pay my share to support it. Maybe it is completely supported by usage, but I'm guessing that's not the case. Regardless, my point is that I'm willing to pay my share - and taxes are a logical way to do that. Left to my own devices, I'm probably not going to privately support something I'm not using - golf courses or RCAT or schools or anything else. Another point - you mention everyone wants schools. That is not the case. There are LOTS of people who think only those with children should pay for the schools - I know from calling about bond issues over the years. And there are some that think education should not be public at all. I vehemently disagree with that - I want to pay my share to support schools too. To me it's all part of living in a society - to support things for the common good - and I might mention that people in countries where they pay higher taxes and have more services are happier than we are in the US. Taxes are the only workable system I can imagine, but maybe I'm just not thinking big enough. I get your point. I just can't see it working through usage alone. However, if RCAT is rolling in the dough in a few weeks because of your suggestions I'll be tickled pink - nearly fuschia, no doubt - and apologize publicly for my short-sightedness! And then I've got another whole long list of things I want you to take on because it would be waaaay cool if it could work that way.  08-18-2008 21:46, , Guest I knew we would still be friends... The whole "Drawing a line in the sand" thing sounded tough though didn't it? I still don't think you are quite getting me.. I don't want any programs to quit. I think both sides of this argument would be happier if everyone took the time to use volunteer participation funds to help relieve tax burdens on people. If noone does it through participation though I agree we still need to do it through taxes. Here's a question I want you too consider, which is more bull-headed and counter productive? Someone saying "I don't want to pay taxes for a program I won't use" or someone saying "I'm willing to pay my dollar, but I'm not going to chase down an RCAT bus to do it." He needs to pay some taxes and you need to once in a while chase down a bus. If those two people would meet in the middle and not take oppossing sides. we would have more community participation, more people getting out meeting people and understanding others wants/needs, more folks willing to contribute to help and less bitterness about taxes. i know you have a million things going... I really do know how busy you are but what if one day a week in the morning you vowed to take RCAT some where. You could do it. If you and me and a couple thousand of our friends did it... RCAT would no longer be a tax burden and maybe the Innovative Housing Program would survive, maybe even grow. Thats a program that will never produce it's own revenue. Programs that don't market them selves and do anything and everything they can to be the smallest tax burden they possibly can, need to be reviewed. It is ok for RCAT to need some tax dollars... It is not ok for RCAT to just sit and be inefficient and not market itself and become a giant tax burden. I am not saying it is... I am just making an example. I think they are making a lot of improvements down there. I agree with you Patsy, I don't think people who are against any type of taxes what so ever are doing anything to help us all better our situation. But, I also think people who don't question taxes at all or who don't think that personal dollars (when possible) are always a better option than tax dollars are just as counter-productive. RCAT, KUSM and Carey Park Golf Course may always rely on tax dollars and I will be fine if thats the case. But we all have the ability and those organizations have the responsibility to continue to strive to relieve or eliminate that drain on the tax base. I want to know if anyone actually sent out an email to all their friends recommending they go see the Salt Museum and if not, why not? Have you ever actually drawn a line in the sand? I need some sand. 08-18-2008 23:57, , Registered I am getting you. Really, I am. I did not send out an email but I've blogged about KUSM more than once so I think everyone in my little corner of the world knows I think it's pretty darned cool. 08-19-2008 00:02, , Registered If it is I'll apologize and do that thing men just love - say I was wrong and you were right. I'll even record it as a memo on your phone and you can listen to it anytime you want.
08-19-2008 08:09, , Registered My friends who live here read WUH. My friends who don't live hear laugh every time I say "so, have you thought about coming to Kansas for vacation/spring break/to visit me." (And I don't mean "ha,ha,ha, of course I would" laughter.) 08-19-2008 12:06, , Guest I have no hard feelings for Nocholaus W. But even with his second post doesn't seem to realize that his first post was uninformed and that does tend to get me worked up. I apploligize if I seemed a little on edge. 08-19-2008 14:26, , Guest I am with you 100% Donations are awesome, so are taxes that we need and so is just helping by participating. When you come back with "The more practical approach is donations..." It makes it look like you are saying that other options are less practical. If that's what you are saying.. I disagree. I may not have a single dime to donate to RCAT, some don't have that extra. But if they have errands to run and the .80 cents is actually cheaper that the gas the errands would cost them, that's a great way to give to the cause, and actually help your pocket book. I guess my point is this, there isn't a perfect solution in our society. Communists have alot of perfect solutions cause they just make everybody live their life on the same page. I don't have enough money or time to go and donate to every cause that I think should exist, I will donate to some, I will pay taxes on most and I will get out, make time to participate in others cause I can and I care enough to. I spend way more time than I should on this website, my boss is my wife and she tells me about it... But I think these discussions are another thing I can do. I am gonna keep pushing people to send an email to all their freinds (even you FFS) cause sooner or later some of them will go give KUSM $13 bucks that they wouldn't have thought to do. Maybe even one of your friends FFS!!! Send the email. Marketing is a whole nother thing. So you really want to help the community, with or without taxes or donations or spending a dime of your money... Go to the home page of this website, click on the article about "Third Thursdays" and email a link to everyone you know. Let's just flood the world with the info about "Third Thursdays". Don't go if you don't want... But tell everyone so anyone that would want to go can. It's a FREE 2 minute deal we could all do to shoot a little boost into the local economy and personality. Come on... do it... Now. |
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| <Getting pretty excited!! | How could Hutch have gotten you to stay?? Or, how did it get you too?> |
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