Taxes for Charity

[forsytjr]

OK, so last year in the town meeting, there were a bunch warrant articles for charities.  $500 here and there.  Some people expressed outrage that we were funding private charities with tax dollars, and said take them off for next year.

Well, this year they were back.  So on the first, after someone again expressed outrage at doing this, I offered to pass a hat after the meeting to collect private donations if people voted this down.  The article passed something like 80-40.  On the next one, I got up and said to vote it down ($500), and I would pay the full amount to the charity, and I thought it was wrong to tax poor people to pay for charity.  It STILL passed 66-65.  I couldn't believe that people would rather tax each other than take my money.  The next one was $2500 - I said I wasn't willing to cough this up, but would start up a voluntary charity system to replace this crazy method of taxing for charities.  So what I am thinking of is leading an effort to raise some money voluntarily, and then next town meeting, will have money to hold over their heads to stop doing this charity thing in the town meetings.

Anyone else out there have a bunch of charities paid for by their towns? 

[error]

Which town is doing this insanity? That isn't charity, it's robbery.

[dalebert]

I really like your tactics. I said a while back that if we're to sell people on the idea of minimal government, we need to demonstrate to them the alternatives. It's amazing how ignorant people are, but many people don't understand that the world continues to turn with or without a large government pulling a bunch of switches.

You get karma.

[aries]

Donate

or die.

[Dreepa]

On the next one, I got up and said to vote it down ($500), and I would pay the full amount to the charity, and I thought it was wrong to tax poor people to pay for charity.  It STILL passed 66-65.

WOW
Unreal!!

I guess if you start collecting now you will have the full amounts by next town meeting.

[TackleTheWorld]

Excellent idea, BW
I agree with dalebert.

I didn't see any charities in Winchester's warrant articles, unless you consider paying city workers to do nothing.

Hey! Maybe I should offer to hire city workers as lumberjacks if they will resign their jobs and promise not to fill the vacancies.

[Dreepa]

Hey! Maybe I should offer to hire city workers as lumberjacks if they will resign their jobs and promise not to fill the vacancies.

We had a warrant that said that the town could not hire any new employees unless they come to town meeting first.
It failed.

[lildog]

I believe it.  In Merrimack we had the boards stand up and say some positions in the school were no longer needed because enrollment was down yet people at the deliberative session pushed to put back all positions cut regardless.  We've had the town step out saying they had no idea why they needed a capital reserve fund with $x,000 in it to start saving but some rainy day we might find we need money and people vote for that too.  It's insane.  Then these same people complain that taxes are too high but there's nothing we can do about it.   

[dawn]

I didn't see any charities in Winchester's warrant articles

There was money for the Winchester Learning Center, a non-profit daycare center. And money for the non-profit recreation center. And the pickle festival.

[TackleTheWorld]

Winchester, NH
motto: Holding guns to our citizen's heads for pickles!

[Tom Sawyer]

 

[forsytjr]

Which town is doing this insanity? That isn't charity, it's robbery.

Strafford.
www.straffordtaxpayers.org