Letter: What the Business 51 petition really means

To the Editor-

Some would have you think is that the Business 51 petition isn’t a great idea.

The petition is all about stopping the “free-fall-all spending” that most of the current Council members want to keep.

It is an easy-to-read, and understand, petition. Simply put, it says to let the Stevens Point residents have a say in how their hard-earned money is spent if the amount of a proposed project is over 1 million dollars. That’s not too much to ask. Let the people have a say in how large amounts of money are spent. Currently, we have a council with a majority of people who have no idea where grants, state and federal aid, or other “free money” comes from.

I might suggest that people learn about our country, states, counties, and cities collection policies. All that ‘free money” isn’t free at all. It’s coming out of the hard-earned income that we get from working. It’s called taxes. Property tax, sales tax on most everything you purchase, sin taxes, wheel tax, income taxes (both state and federal), payroll tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, gift tax, wealth tax, business and corporate tax, alternative minimum tax, FICA and payroll tax, self-employment tax, estate tax, generation-skipping transfer tax, tariffs, value-added taxes (VATS), excise tax, and surtax.

Now tell me about free money from the government. The government takes our money, calls it theirs, and then tries—emphasis on tries—to make people think they are giving us free money. You all should have learned this in grade school.

And then we have those city, county, state, and federal government officials that buy into this “free money” concept. And they go about spending with abandon.

The current Business 51 plans are ludicrous. Someone needs to step in and stop the madness. Let it be the people of the city of Stevens Point before it’s too late. Sign the petition.

Ruth Pfiffner
Stevens Point

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