Well, I must admit that I found the TNT hearing more entertaining that I would have imagined. I got to see John Kolstad deliver his usual Olympian thunderbolts. I got to meet Vicky Heller, who cuts a most unique figure in public (love them boots, Vicky). Learned quite a bit about how some small business owners around town feel. Generally got different perspectives on the taxation issue than you ever see in the major media. Would love to see the major media account for their poor showing in covering the issue of taxation locally. I mean, what is it, are they now exclusively focused on the suburban market demographic?
Too bad Eva bolted the scene so abruptly. I would have talked to her, too. But I am wondering if ANYONE from my side of the issues showed up. Maybe some year I'll sign up to testify. I don't know what I expected the hearing to be about, but it turned out to be about people programs being paranoid that they will be cut in the frenzy; and landlords and other small fry being afraid they won't earn enough to stay afloat next year. One thing I noticed got councilmembers nodding was the conflict between Fortune 500 business and ma-and-pa business. What nobody really said anything about is how recent elections have set this up. If workers incomes go down and favors to big business go up, the time comes when there's a question who can afford ANY taxes. What we have right now is the consequence of carrying supply side economics TOO far. The time comes when business simply doesnt need workers because too much was produced. That may be great for inflation, but it is lousy for employment, and employment is where taxes come from. The more people who are forced to take minimum wage jobs, the less you can sell to them OR tax them. But that hardly makes the burden on government shrink. So we get caught in impossible decisions, and yet no one every considers how cities can sink in the undertow. ===== ========================================= Jim Mork----Cooper Neighborhood "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God" ---Matthew 5:9 United for Peace http://www.unitedforpeace.org/new/ __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
