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Lee's tea party

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Steve Rose Memo Archives
Written by Steve Rose, Publisher   
Wednesday, 11 November 2009 00:00

rose.steve.new.color.new.webLee of Prairie Village (last name withheld) responded to my most recent column. His e-mail came across as his own seething tea party.

What I had written was that there is a squeeze going on in county government. Property tax revenues are plummeting because home values are plummeting. At the same time, the demand for county services is skyrocketing as some residents are themselves squeezed.

Lee is not sympathetic to those in need, and it is fair to say, if Lee were a County Commissioner, he might vote to just eliminate all services. Those would include mortgage assistance, rent assistance, utility and prescription assistance, food stamps, mental health care, and other forms of government help for those in need.

 

Lee raises some points that require responses, as we ponder what to do with our crisis.

Writes Lee, “So, Johnson County citizens are clamoring for more services. My family and I have lived in Johnson County for 35 years, and we aren’t clamoring for more services. I don’t think any of my friends or neighbors are clamoring for more services.”

“Just who are these folks clamoring for services?” asks Lee. “Maybe they shouldn’t live in Johnson County.”

Lee, I have lived here 62 years, and we both must realize that this is not the same homogeneous, affluent suburb it used to be. Of the 87,000 students who are in all of our school districts combined, 13,000 are on free or reduced-price lunches because their parents are poor or near-poor. And they are entitled to live in Johnson County, though they may not be your friends or neighbors.

But don’t be surprised if some of your neighbors are quietly hurting, as well. The unemployment rate in Johnson County has doubled in this recession, now at almost 8 percent. This is, by far, the worst unemployment rate we have experienced since records were kept. And as one Johnson County economist said last week, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

Perhaps Johnson County is too expensive for many of the newly unemployed. Maybe they would like to sell their homes and downsize or move out of the county. But how will they sell their homes? Chances are, they can’t.

Lee continues, “How about the folks in charge of Johnson County just say NO. Our taxes are high enough. Get along with what you have!”

The Commissioners agree with you, Lee. That is why taxes have not increased and, even in this crushing crisis, they have proclaimed that taxes will not increase. So, you can relax. The Commissioners are part of your tea party on this one.

Lee has one more point to make, regarding my comments that the demand for our libraries is increasing in this recession, particularly the computers. Lee responds: “If you check out the cars in the library parking lots, the majority have Missouri license plates.”

I don’t know if that is true, but if it is true, our librarians should ask for identification and give top priority to Johnson County residents. Good point, Lee.

Lee has now gotten his tea-party points in print. While we don’t agree with most of what Lee has to say, it is important that he have his say.

 

Contact Steve Rose at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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written by jbolduc, November 15, 2009
testing to see what signature comes up before I post. Thanks.
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written by cbarker, November 15, 2009
I think you will find that most people in Johnson County would feel conflicted by three simultaneous yet contradictory beliefs. First, they feel great concern and sympathy for neighbors in dire economic straights and desire to help. Second, a sense of self-protection not to suffer additional financial burdens in the form of increased taxes. Last, a sense that it is unfair that people who lived below their means and saved to create a personal safty net should be called on to relieve the circumstances of those who lived at or beyond their means. In good economic times, government, which must rely on coercion, can emphasize the first, minimize the second, and the third is negligable. In bad economic times the first feeling is buried by the other two. An strong emphasis on charity, which is voluntary, is probably the best approach to hlep our unfortunate neighbors in these times.
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written by tpaine2, November 16, 2009
I read the article last week about Johnson counties increasing demand for services and just did not have time to respond.
I work for one of those JOCO funded services and as Lee noted on the MO cars at the libraries the service I work for gets a very large percentage of its clients from outside of Johnson County, some even from MO.
The client base we serve has their own little network and the word is out that we have the nicest facility of its type in the area as well as good food and no real restrictions on the number of times one can come stay in a year.
What should be a once or twice in a lifetime service has become a revolving door that is treated more as a short term homeless shelter than as a means to get better. We have clients who use us 4-5 times a year as someplace to crash when they run out of money, have angered friends or family, got thrown out of a shelter or ½ way house or have overdone it and need a few days to recover. It is not unusual for clients to show up with bags of laundry they need to do but displaying no clear symptoms of needing our services.
As an employee and taxpayer this is extremely aggravating and worse these people abusing our service often keep others who are actually serious about seeking help from getting it.
Equally annoying is that many of these clients, most of whom are quite capable of being self supporting, manage to access other county funded services that provide them with places to live, an income via SSI disability payments and medical care by claiming addictions and illnesses they know will get them these services which then allows them to continue living irresponsibly on the tax payers dime.
While I do not doubt that there is an increase in people genuinely needing help, what I have seen is a subset of society that will hook up to the public teat and not let go, milking the tax payers for all they can get and giving nothing back. If the county wants to avoid raising taxes and get more bang for the existing money then they need to look more closely at how the existing tax money is being spent and who is being fed.
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