A week or so ago I expressed my opinion about the school levy. I then received…well…feedback suggesting that dissenting opinions are not very welcome here. But I have thick skin and have concluded that the current debate is the consequence of old, deep wounds.
This crisis started in the 1970s with politicians who repeated phrases like “tax-burden” and “tax-relief.” Mistakenly, we accepted that taxes were some sort of unfair penalty rather than the dues we pay to live in a great nation, a great state, and a great community. We inflicted damage when we became unwilling to pay for the things that make a community…well…a community. Local infrastructure aside, by accepting the misguided premise that paying for one’s standard of living is somehow unfair and by electing officials who promoted that distorted reality, we directly harmed our school system, our teachers, and most importantly, our children. We also began to undermine the viability of our community.
A half century later our desperation is real. The bleeding continues with every politician who promises to reduce taxes but instead cuts funding, each time living wage careers are cut in favor of minimum wage jobs, and when local leaders fail to take unpopular positions.
I’m not arguing in favor of the levy. But I understand why it feels like the last chance to stop the bleeding. Maybe it is. Hopefully there are still opportunities to grow and improve our community. But those opportunities will require vision and commitment on the part of community leaders and voters. It also will require collaboration among the three big actors in the community, the city, the city schools, and the university.
My hope is that if the community votes yes, it’s the beginning of real change. Because it’s too late for bandages.
Rick Busselle
Bowling Green
