The Proposed Carson City Sales Tax Increase — quit whining and start helping
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Wed, 02/05/2014 - 9:18pm
As could be expected, the proposal to raise Carson City’s sales tax has brought out the “government is bad” crowd to whine about everything that could possibly go wrong. The problem with this approach is that there ends up being such a long list of gripes that it’s hard to take any of it seriously. There have no focus, just a terrified howl of discontent about the sky falling.
Carson City has been bypassed and we need to do some things to keep it economically viable—to attract business. Before the bypass, we could just wait for cars to stop as they whizzed through. Now, we have to do what other cities do, make our city a place people want to come to and shop. I hear a lot of cynicism along the lines of “Carson City is such a wreck. It can never do anything right or be a good place or host business, etc..” I wonder why these people live here.
I doubt that the current set of ideas is perfect. But to sit back and throw stones without offering to help, make suggestions and build a better community strikes me as irresponsible and lazy. What I like about the current effort is precisely what has so often been lacking in recent years--it is a collection of ideas from many people. Today, that collection is not done. You can add or subtract until Feb. 20th.
Nobody likes taxes. Still, taxes build and maintain our roadways and sidewalks. And taxes allow our society to provide services for the public at large—not just for those who can afford extras. Yes, government does not do things well at times. I would lay blame for this squarely at the feet of these whiners and gripers who endlessly find fault without ever focusing on the need or how to address it. They aren’t really trying to solve any problems. They just want nothing to happen because they are overwhelmed. They think that shouting "NO!" is a contribution to the conversation.
Again, the need is squarely before us. The highway has bypassed Carson City and if we are going to retain and attract business we have to be, well…attractive. This isn’t some namby-pamby feel-good exercise in self-esteem. We’re talking about money—money that we invest so that our city, Carson City, can do business in competition with thousands of other cities that have invested in their future.
If you think the plans are bad, make a suggestion. But quit throwing endless rocks from your ivory tower. Come down here and get your hands dirty. Quit whining and come help with the details.
Chris Bayer
