Petition Nearing Goal
Editor:
First, I would like to say what a thrill it has been for me, a 65-year-old, to meet you citizens as I went door to door over the last four months getting signatures to lower taxes. Since I started the Tax Petition, I have knocked on over 2,500 doors, shaken hands and looked in the eyes of 1,000 voters, and gotten signatures from 88.5% of you. We should have considerable more signatures after today for this is the morning of our local, state and national elections. It has been my very special pleasure to meet you, hear your problems, and share a small piece of your lives. I am so very proud of all of you. It gives me strength to continue. Our group has now surpassed 1,000 signatures. As we approach the final 25% of our minimum required signatures, I can assure you I will not quit until this task is completed. My friends, I tell you we are doing the right thing, but we must have perseverance to see it to completion.
People ask me, “Why are you trying to lower taxes?” I tell them all the same thing. This is not really about taxes. When I was young, we were taught that each American was a unique and special creation imbued with free will and not to be measured by the pound. Today we are immersed in apathy and disinterest, first about ourselves and then about our surroundings. Every day I wake up and go knock on doors. I fight complacency, smugness, self-righteousness, uncritical, almost medicated, satisfaction, the façades. My goal is to draw out the truth, to reveal the discord, the real unhappiness, the uncertainty that surrounds us which is fostered by disinterest and blind acceptance of the status quo. You may recognize it as the “whatever” mentality.
The Tax Petition is merely a tool to coax or persuade people out of this false comfort. To tell people eye to eye that they are unique, they are special, they are important. You do not have to accept things as they are. Each and every voter I met, whether they signed or not meant something very special to me. I thank you for all the good questions and hope my best effort at answers added value to your lives. I promise you to do my best to finish the Petition, for all who signed. For those of you we have yet to reach, be patient and we will find you or you can find us. We are Ocean City Taxpayers for Social Justice and the Tax Petition.
Property values in Ocean City are in their sixth year of decline totaling more than 32% while property values in Fenwick and West Ocean City have increased more than 20% in the last three years a difference of at least 52%. A tax reduction of 21% returning the rate to the 2009 level of $.38 will lower the costs to live here for residents and boost stagnant property values, while lowering the cost to conduct business and lowering the price of final goods and services while stimulating the Town’s economy, residential and commercial.
By making costs to live and do business in Ocean City more attractive for families and businesses, we hope to mitigate chronic storefront vacancies and fill vacant residential homes once again. We are not saying the tax petition will reduce all final prices however it will bring relieve to a major cost for residences and businesses. It is a step in the right direction. It will require the bloated Ocean City government to go on a winter time diet like the rest of us do.
Tony Christ
Ocean City
Homeless Story Reaction
Editor:
In response to last week’s story about the homeless on the Boardwalk and Mrs. Groves’ concerns, I agree something should be done about the homeless issue. I understand how bothersome it must be to have to see and hear them with their little problems, like mentally disabled veterans and other displaced souls.
It surely isn’t fair that they are so rude as to spoil your view of the public toilets. Oh did you ever hear of a little saying that goes something like this.
Feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, cloth the naked, blah, blah and all that stuff.
Hope happier days will come your way soon.
Josette Marie Braswell