Taxpayer harassment

I have lived in a small "Whistle-stop suburb" of a whistle-stop town for 12
years. Our financial picture is forcing us to leave, and it's frustrating.
But there is little that can be done.

What does this have to do with anything? You'll see shortly.

State and federal laws do not allow harassment. Not by Phone, not by mail,
not by visiting. There are laws against constant calls by debt collectors
(Although a few I can mention) refuse to abide by the law. We're a prime
example of the harassed. The harasser refuses to stop calling, hitting an
outlandish 72 calls in 17 days. I went to the FTC. No action. I went to
the FCC. No stops by the people on the other end. I can take them to court
for violations of the law. It could net us a fortune. Or not.

But harassment by Government (in our case the local school district) is
perfectly legal. What a damn crock!

Now let me tie this together: We've lived here 12 years. In that time, the
school district has had a question about the schools 6 times. That's an
average of one every two years. Each time, they have requested a budget
increase through a raise in the property tax. 5 times, it has been rejected
by the voters.

They have 2 questions on the ballot this year. Each one wants to raise the
property taxes by about 10%. Now, how does this constitute harassment?

This is the THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR...that they have tried to slip a referendum
by the unwary taxpayer, or by the inattentive voters. Last year, the state
slipped a cleverly worded referendum past the voters, tricking the taxpayer
into raising our own sales tax by 3/8%. They now have it on the books: a
25-year tax increase. It's supposed to support "The arts and the Minnesota
waters." It's REALLY going to the general fund. It's being spent on
nonsense, and it's not easing the budget crisis at all.

3 Straight years for the district requested we submit to another tax
increase. Haven't we had ENOUGH?

They're trying to wear us down. To get us to give in to this harassment.
They want to pick our pockets by getting us to do it for them. And what's
so frustrating is that some people don't see it that way. The school
district has not succeeded. But this harassment is wearing a lot of people
down. Last year's rejection was close. That was a MAJOR election year.
This year is very quiet... It's only the referendum on the ballot.

It's time for a law limiting the number of times such a question can be
placed on the ballot. They should NOT be allowed to put it up every 6
months, every year until they wear the people down. It ought to be limited
to once every 4 years, or maybe 3 times a decade, but NOT every year. That
s harassment.

It's time we stand up to be counted. We need to hold a tea party to stop
this nonsense.

Soon, I'll be out of this state. And I'll thumb my nose at the school
district. I'll thumb my nose at the harassers who refuse to take "NO" for
an answer.

It's time to say NO. NO MORE TAXES. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Unfortunately, this is Government with which we deal. Term limits are sorely needed.