Issue 20: Montgomery County Ohio Human Services Levy

Posted by DarthDilbert at 11/03/2007 09:34:00 PM

Whenever I'm in need of a good laugh the liberal columnist in the Debate Forum for Dayton City Paper never lets me down. His latest column is about Issue 20, the Human Services Levy here in Montgomery County. The levy will replace the existing tax of 5.21 mills and increase it by 2 mills.

It's clear from his columns in the past that Mr. Hurwitz hates capitalism, and he doesn't let his readers down this week. After ranting about "free enterprise and a market economy" he asks, "Is it okay for the lowest bidder to educate our children?" Guess what Sparky, they do already - as a teacher in government schools you should know this.

He trips over himself pulling out examples from the former Soviet Union for what government should provide. He writes that the levy will "help families get their children immunizations they might not have otherwise been able to afford". I've heard this sob story before but when you investigate individual examples you find that the parents choose to allocate their budget poorly. These parents can't supposedly pay for their children to be immunized but have digital cable (or satellite) TV, air conditioning, cell phones, and at least one gaming system.

He is proud to announce that the money taken by the government for the levy will "provide our county's elders with the basic human dignity and respect we all want our grandparents to receive." He doesn't stop there though, he lets us know that the levy will increase the pride of the community. I'm glad to finally know what the price of pride and "basic human dignity" is now.

He would surely have been given a timeout by his local ACLU chapter if he didn't appeal to the politically correct gods. He appeased them by explaining that the levy "also provides an enormous collection of support services for the differently-abled."

As I said earlier he trips over himself pulling out examples from the former Soviet Union for what government should provide. He believes that government should provide housing/shelter, jobs, pensions, food, and health care. I think we've found the new posterboy for the socialist democRATs. He asserts that the levy "helps families maintain a modicum of self-respect as they face the loss of the life they knew". I would think that standing in line at a government agency begging for a handout would eliminate any shred of self-respect and embarrass someone rather than providing that self-respect.

Dayton City Paper
Montgomery County Board of Elections

2 comments

It's such a shame that liberals disdain honest discourse on important matters like Issue 20, preferring instead to use inflammatory rhetoric and emotional misrepresentation to intimidate normal people into giving up more and more of the money they really need for their own families and their own children. Nobody argues the need for basic services for those who truly cannot help themselves. However, the can labeled "Issue 20" is more pork than beans and it's hard to swallow.

Until some stigma is attached to asking for a handout, it will remain a cottage industry to subsidize the laziness and lack of morality of thousands of people in our community who actually can help themselves but choose not to, because there exists a ready trough at which they can slurp. Decades ago, it was a badge of shame to have a family before you had even a basic education and some kind of job. Today the most common problem of the "poor" is obesity, a testament to the blind generosity of the rest of us. Shoulder injuries abound from having one's hand out, and it seems there is no end to the "needs" that can be identified and subsidized once the pity train gets rolling. Sorry, it's not a "need" to pay the entire living expenses of people who have simply chosen to stay ignorant and lazy yet amazingly fertile. The "great society" has only resulted in greater incentives each year to have even more illegitimate children, and take even more from those who pull the wagon while remaining comfortably seated in the passenger compartment.

The sad fact is, there will always be those who need our help. They are the ones who cannot help themselves. But the larger group are the ones who will not help themselves, and are unfortunately willing to trade all dignity and self-respect for a free bowl of soup and a smelly apartment. Try to find a Section 8 apartment that doesn't have a television. It's a choices thang, man.

Anyone who doesn't jump on the blind pity express is ridiculed by those who want to take our hard-earned money, partly for themselves. No different than slavemasters, the legion of people who support themselves by doling out our money to endless lines of welfare recipients shout any reasonable individual down if he or she dares to question this "generosity". News flash: you aren't "hard-hearted" if you feel that those who are capable of holding an oar do some rowing. If Issue 20 fails nobody will starve to death. However, a number of people who currently believe they are incapable of helping themselves in any way may find they are indeed able to get up and walk. This forced but positive and ultimately uplifting realization may be the greatest, most compassionate gift they could ever receive.

Martha
 
"Over 100 agencies support Issue 20," sure they do, the more money taken from the over burdened taxpayer, the more of their non-profit contributions can be add to their portfolios. Where is United Way in this mix? It seems that the services supported by the tax were previously supported by our voluntary United Way contributions.

Has Montgomery County become the county of choice for the welfare community?
What has happened here that an increase of almost 50% is required to pay for social services? Further, unless both the tax paying population and county property values have decreased the revenue increase from this levy will be far greater than 50%. Has the cost of this levy been challenged? Someone once wrote, “you protest too much,” and that is my response to the extensive radio, TV and newspaper advertising and editorials and telephone calls that I received. Maybe a “No” vote will force discussion and a reasonable accounting of the social services requirements.
 

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