Local taxes, best taxes, actual savings
I’ve long thought local taxes are best taxes, going no further than a locale’s edges and right into services sometimes no more than a walk away and certainly no more than a short drive. We get books, movies, computers from the library; services for veterans; exercise classes at the senior center; roads ploughed and paved; education and enrichment for young people; emergency services you don’t need until you must have. The list goes on.
So, it is not surprising I support Easthampton’s override on June 9. My taxes will go up about $100 a month. I just paid off my student loan, so I have the cash. I bet I get more than a $100 worth of services each month just from the library. Fortunately, I’m not a monthly Fire Department user but a couple of years ago my stove wouldn’t stop smoking after the roasted vegetables came out and firefighters were there in a flash (RIP, mouse).
I’ve been learning about the implications of the deep cuts if the override doesn’t pass, and how much it will actually cost us to make these cuts. Paying unemployment for the many laid off, for example. I also see three positions on the Fire Department layoff list which will impact response rates by which homeowner’s insurance rates are set. Homeowners might pay more monthly insurance premiums without the override — and still have our houses burn. (I am a poet — supported by Easthampton City Arts! — so the house burning is a metaphor for what happens without an override but also a physical possibility!)
Local taxes never go for bombs nor to prop up authoritarian regimes. If we take a bird’s eye view of U.S. taxation, our eyes will pop at how much money we spend nationally on militarism and killing innocent civilians. This must end. But it won’t end before June 9 so at this time we have to do what we can to take care of our community. For me that means a “yes” vote on Easthampton’s override.
Carolyn Cushing
Easthampton