Property Tax Revolt?

[Kat Kanning]

I was talking about this with Russell on the way back from CT yesterday.   I am going to take whatever money I'm not giving to the public schools and donate it to the Liberty Scholarship Fund.  That way, it'll be a double-whammy....the money is not going to the public schools AND it's being used to help other people leave the public school system.

[Michael Fisher]

I was talking about this with Russell on the way back from CT yesterday.? ?I am going to take whatever money I'm not giving to the public schools and donate it to the Liberty Scholarship Fund.? That way, it'll be a double-whammy....the money is not going to the public schools AND it's being used to help other people leave the public school system.

A double-whammy indeed!?

This makes it quite clear that people will contribute voluntarily to private educational institutions without the need for any laws.

This is simultaneously a protest against the law and a proposed alternative solution!

[Dave Ridley]

what about making a new press release that articulates what Kat is planning to do with the money?   and then sending it to all the same media to which we sent the original?

[Kat Kanning]

Is anyone planning on being in Keene on the 30th?

[Dave Ridley]

Here is a possible headline for an updated press release:

Keene mom will send tax money to charity instead of city

[Dave Ridley]

Kat there is an 80% chance I'll be there.

I've communicated with about 6 others who say they are interested in coming....probably about 2 of them will.

Turnout's not going to be as high as the other events I'm sure what with you being off in the corner instead of in the middle of the state.

[varrin]

Is anyone planning on being in Keene on the 30th?

Unfortunately, I leave again on the 28th... Dang... 

I do appreciate what Ed has to say.  I'm not ready for the CD route myself, but rest assured I take absolutely no pride, joy, or any other warm fuzzy at knowing a gazillion dollars of my money goes towards government schools. 

I'll be thinking about you from one of the less free places in the world (mainland China).

V-

[Michael Fisher]

Is anyone planning on being in Keene on the 30th?

My family is coming in from Utah on the 30th.  If they arrive later in the evening, which I believe is true, then I'll come to your event.  If not, then I can't go.   

[Michael Fisher]

Alright, how's this for a new and hopefully-improved press release?? ?


From NHfree.com
For Immediate Release

Keene mom sending tax money to non-profit instead of city

Keene, NH, June 23, 2005 - 38-year-old Kat Dillon isn't satisfied she's getting her money's worth from government schools.? In fact, she says she isn't getting anything from them at all.

"My child is homeschooled," says Dillon.? "She's never gone to public school and never will.? I don't get any use out of it, so it's wrong for them to make me pay for it."

To drive her point home, Dillon will appear at Keene City Hall on June 30 with a check for only 42% of what the city says she and her family owe.? She will donate the other 58% to the Liberty Scholarship Fund (LSF), a statewide non-profit that gives $1,000 scholarships to families to help cover the costs of homeschool or private school.? Dillon is Vice Chair of the LSF.

"The part that would have gone to public schools... we're donating it to the Liberty Scholarship Fund.? This will help other people leave the public school system."

Dillon says her protest will prove that New Hampshire's tax laws are unfair to families that choose to educate their children in homeschool or private school.? She adds, "this would be so much better if they just didn't take my tax money in the first place.? Why aren't families like ours exempt from paying the school portion of property taxes?"

After handing over her truncated check, Dillon will lead a protest outside city hall urging other "alternative education" families to "recalculate" their taxes as well.? She says she has no idea whether her act of noncompliance will inspire anyone else to do the same but that her family will "do this alone if necessary."

Dillon is no stranger to protest.? On June 11 her husband Russell Kanning made national news when he chose arrest over compliance with TSA regulations at Manchester Airport.? And it was Dillon who received the infamous nail buff from "Outlaw Manicurist" Mike Fisher.? In May, Fisher gave her an unlicensed manicure in front of the state licensing board and also went to jail for it.? ?

The soft-spoken computer programmer says she recognizes her act of civil disobedience will probably trigger retaliation, possibly even the loss of her home.? "But," she says, "it's the right thing to do."

Summary:

What:? Civil disobedience against the school portion of property taxes.
How:? By handing over a check that does not include the "school portion" of the tax, then leading a protest.
Why:? ?Because people shouldn't be forced to pay for a system they don't use or agree with.
Where:? Keene City Hall: 3 Washington St. (at the traffic circle), Keene, NH.
When:? 10:00 A.M. Thursday, June 30, 2005.
Who:? Kat Dillon of Keene, supporters from NHfree.com
Contacts:? Kat Dillon (603) 357-2049, Mike Fisher (603) 498-7935, Backup:? Dave Ridley (603) 721-1490

[Kat Kanning]

Sounds good to me.  Thanks, Mike.

[Michael Fisher]

Thanks!?

Most of the changes include your exact quotes from earlier posts in the NH Underground forums. 

I'll send it out right now!

Does anyone have the contact info of a reporter at the Keene Sentinel that you can send to me in a private message?? Thanks.

[Michael Fisher]

Okay, now what about signage!!!?

[Michael Fisher]

I just send this press release out to my contacts at:
-CNHT
-Union Leader
-Concord Monitor
-Keene Sentinel
-Associated Press

If anyone has contacts at appropriate local publications in western New Hampshire, please send it to me in a private message.  Thanks! 

[Kat Kanning]

From today's Sentinel:

Most don?t owe in Keene: Few are missing tax payments
   

PETER J. CLEARY
Sentinel Staff


?I fear that the city of Keene will eventually tax us out of town ... How can we pay our mortgages and taxes on the average $12-an-hour job in Keene??

?I?m beginning to understand why generations ago the good people of Boston decided to throw my country?s tea into the harbor.?

?Taxpayers in Keene should be livid! ... I?m getting to the end of my rope and hope others are, too.?

? Letters to the editor

[cathleeninnh]

We will also try to be there, Kat.

Cathleen