SpeakOut 6/9

Call 471-6636

Let me get this right. On May 28, President Bush signed into law the largest tax cut in U.S. history. So why is Lanie Black wanting the social offices and state employees to help him promote tax increases. Well, Mr. Black, I for one am asking where do you get the gall to do this? You were voted into office because you said you wanted to do what is right for the working people. How is a tax increase helping us? We are taxed out. Unlike you, Mr. Black, I can't buy my autos and four-wheelers on a farm account, whereas they are tax free and no taxes are credited to those vehicles. Also unlike you, Mr. Black, I don't belong to the largest welfare program in the country, the farm subsidy program. The government hasn't given me over $113,000 since 1996 as they have you. Also, as a state employee, I haven't had a raise in four years but state government got their raises and their free room and board plus food paid for and other benefits. So, no, Mr. Black to your tax increase and I would rather you not interfere with my work to listen to your crap. If state funds had not been mishandled the state wouldn't be in the shape it is in now. As a taxpayer, I am not the one who mishandled the funds. How about some salary cuts in Jefferson City and get rid of some of those luxuries you guys have. How about putting some of the money back in the taxpayers' pockets and give us a break!

SpeakOut is not the forum I would normally choose to communicate, but I fear that doing it in a more public way would no doubt bring retaliation with the way our city council is making unneeded cuts in budgets and changing ordinances to suit their agendas and trashing those who disagree with them. I feel we are experiencing some of the same embarrassment and tactics as the cities of Miner and Cairo, Ill., feel when their city councils consider their own agendas rather than what most of their voters want. They behave the way spoiled children do when they don't get their way. In Sikeston, they are literally making citizens pay for not voting for their ill-conceived PILOT program. I understand from very reliable sources that the city could continue their same budget, not changing a thing, and maintaining their same level of services we have had. The present city council is micro-managing, and very poorly, I might add. We can see their bad management in the faces of city employees and especially the city manager. He was hired to manage. Allow him to do it. The city council feels that if they can make it more and more miserable for the citizens, they can bring back the PILOT and it will be voted for the next time around. We voted for you because we trusted that you would do what we wanted you to do. We didn't vote for you to take over city hall and manage it. We pay people we trust to do that. We didn't vote for you to do away with city boards at your whim and redo ordinances to suit your own agendas. We didn't vote for you to talk about and tell untruths about those who work hard for city entities and those who volunteer their time and effort to sit on city boards. Those boards are in place to do their jobs and you must let them do so without your interference.