May 25, 2008 The City Has Mailed Its Taxpayer-funded Pro-Tax Letters

The Morristown City Council sent letters last week to "Morristown Property Owner."

The letters ask each recipient to vote YES for a sales tax increase in the June 3 referendum.

The letters have individualized property tax information and state that the City Council has "committed" to roll back last year's historic 40-cent property tax increase by 15-cents if the referendum passes. Click on the image at left to view one of the letters.

The letter campaign is part of a mighty effort to cajole a "yes" vote out of a segment of the voting population with no thought about the effect of another sales tax increase on young families, the elderly, and low-income workers--all of whom will be hit hardest with the higher sales tax rate of 9.75%.

The City Council alone votes on property tax increases. The voters, however, have the say on sales tax increases.

Since the Council has to rely on voters to pass a sales tax increase, the City is resorting to extraordinary means--including a temporary partial tax rollback or what some have termed "temporary tax reduction bribery"--to get voter approval of a permanent sales tax increase.

If the Council can get the voters to agree to a sales tax increase, the Council can do the obligatory and temporary 15-cent reduction and then turn right around and vote in future property tax increases without going to the voters as is necessary with the sales tax.

About the only way to get voters to vote themselves a sales tax increase is to frame it in terms of "pick your poison," so that's exactly what the City is doing.

The City administered a 40-cent property tax poison to city taxpayers in 2007. Now the Mayor and City Council are telling city voters that they can substitute a sales tax poison for part (15- cents) of last year's property tax poison by voting YES on the sales tax increase.

Sales taxes are regressive and impact the working poor, the elderly, and those on fixed incomes the hardest.

Sales tax dollars, as pointed out by City Councilman Mel Tucker, are an unreliable, up-and-down source of revenue for the City. The sales tax dollars of outsiders are particularly unreliable because outsiders do not have to come to Morristown to shop.

This referendum offers a short-term carrot (a temporary 15-cent property tax reduction) in order to get voters to approve a long-term and permanent sales tax increase.

The letters are about spending taxpayer dollars to convince property owners that they can benefit by laying a permanent regressive sales tax increase both on themselves and on the working poor, the elderly, and individuals and families who rent.

Look at the people who will benefit by the sales tax/property tax swap.

Then look at the people who are likely to be hurt by the swap--those who own inexpensive housing, those who rent, those who have small fixed incomes, those already suffering with gas at nearly $4/gallon and milk hovering around $5/gallon-- those who already have great difficulty in purchasing the basics of life.

Where is the letter explaining how wonderful it is for these individuals to pay even more sales tax? The government can not tax itself into prosperity, but it certainly can tax its citizenry into oblivion!

January 31, 2008 Morristown Goes Deeper in Debt UNANIMOUSLY

As Tennessee Ernie Ford would say, the City of Morristown is another day older and deeper in debt. The City Council approved another $8+ million of debt this week for overruns on road and building projects and still more sewer debt.

Councilman Mel Tucker apparently spoke out about the danger of piling on debt-- but then he turned around and voted with all other councilmen to pile on more debt!

Passing on debt and more debt to the next generation is the national, state, and local trend.

To cover the spend and borrow cycle, the city is desperately trying to convince voters that the old saying "Never vote yourself a tax increase" is outdated. Mayor Sami Barile and all six councilmen sent a 3-page "pick your poison" PRO-SALES TAX letter to Morristown residents early this week.

Too bad the city doesn't devote as much time to controlling its spending and debt as it has to its current Vote Yes for Sales Tax campaign.

If the city had been minding the financial store, there never would have been a nearly 40% property tax increase last year. And the county just keeps piling on debt and taxes, too.

Somebody needs to put the brakes on this borrow and spend and tax train! No matter how wonderful the city and county and school board think taxes are, the people of Morristown and Hamblen County can't afford a ticket to ride.

January 6, 2008 ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: Congressman Davis Returns from the Border and Councilman Tucker Issues a Wake-up Call

ILLEGAL immigration, which has been a concern to people across the state and nation for many years, is a hot topic on the local, state, and national level.

Fortunately, opposition to ILLEGAL immigration is a high priority and focus of 1st District Congressman David Davis who just returned from a visit to our southern border. Davis opposes amnesty for ILLEGAL immigrants and echoes the sentiments of many of his constituents in stating "ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL."

Davis supports a temporary guest worker program which would require that a worker enter through proper channels, work for a period of time as a guest, and then, like all true guests, return to his or her home country.

At the local level, Morristown Councilman Mel Tucker has been pointing out what the majority of Hamblen Countians realized years ago: ILLEGAL immigration is NOT a net boon to the economy.

You can put all kinds of pretty wrappings on ILLEGAL immigration, but it is still just that--- ILLEGAL. And the net effect of massive, long-term ILLEGAL immigration is to depress the wages of less-skilled American workers while increasing the costs of healthcare, law enforcement, courts, and education.

For his efforts to educate the public about ILLEGAL immigration and to encourage local, state, and federal action and enforcement of immigration laws, Councilman Tucker is to be congratulated.

For his opposition to amnesty for ILLEGAL immigrants and his support of a border fence and a temporary, limited guest worker program, Congressman David Davis is to be congratulated!

December 18, 2007 Whereas...Let the ILLEGAL Invasion Continue?

Bobby Moore writes that City Councilman Mel Tucker's anti-ILLEGAL immigration initiative has hit a wall.

Moore reports that the federal government can't, or won't, do anything to help local law enforcement take steps to address ILLEGAL immigration in Morristown and Hamblen County.

We have a federal government that won't enforce laws against ILLEGAL immigration....and now it also refuses to assist local governments help enforce laws against ILLEGAL immigration!

Mel Tucker sees and has outlined the damage that ILLEGAL immigration has done in Morristown.

Tucker's "WHEREAS" paragraphs in his ILLEGAL immigration resolutions describe some of the damage to the city and to the local community as a result of ILLEGAL immigration. Tucker's federal resolution is here. His state resolution is here.

Sheriff Esco Jarnagin offered an analogy. ILLEGAL immigration is like someone who criminally trespasses on your property, puts up a tent, and "camps out" on your front yard!

After years of throwing out the welcome mat to ILLEGAL immigrants and years of turning a blind eye to the harm and costs of ILLEGAL immigrants, Morristown has become a sanctuary city for ILLEGAL immigrants and Hamblen County has become a sanctuary county for ILLEGAL immigrants.

The city has passed Tucker's resolutions. The county should go ahead and pass the resolutions this Thursday, December 20.

Then instead of just saying "oh, well, let the ILLEGAL invasion continue," citizens and local officials should ramp up the pressure on the federal government to secure our borders and to begin genuine efforts--with the help of local law enforcement--to enforce immigration laws.