Voice of Scottsdale (aka Virginia Korte) posted a commentary today on new Scottsdale city council member David Smith and his grand plan to save our city from the food tax that threatens to put us all in the poor house and leave a deserted…er…desert, where Scottsdale used to be.
The question posed: Is Smith sincere or showboating? Like a lot of these questions I’ve seen lately, it’s the wrong question.
A better one would be: Why all this talk about cutting taxes (of any kind) and not cutting expenses? Starting with, of course, Scottsdale subsidies to private businesses? Like the NFL (over a million dollars). Like the Professional Golfers Association and Phil Mickelson’s “White Buffalo, LLC” that leases the city’s McDowell Mountain Golf facility (over $20 million). Like the Scottsdale Cultural Council.
Oops, I guess that last one is off the table, since Smith’s wife is on the board of trustees. The $4 million in taxpayer-funded cash subsidy they receive every year might otherwise have made up for almost half the shortfall that would be generated by Smith’s tax cut proposal.
No word on why Smith didn’t actively oppose the others. It’s for certain, though, that Smith supports raising your property taxes, via a huge bond issue we are sure to see proposed later this year. Korte, too.
2 Comments
As Sonny and Cher once sang…..and the beat goes on.
As you said the question is wrong, the city council needs to look at spending first. I mean if you were getting frothy about Scottsdale spending all this money on streets, mass transit, and public services who would support you? More public services and supporting the community, that would make you friends, but that is not what the city of Scottsdale does.
So with that not being the case, let us stop paying for all the sports and arts councils that need no support. Does the NFL, PGA, Barret Jackson, and so on need any taxpayer help or assistance? NO. If anything we should be charging them extra for contaminating our city with the burdens they impose on our city. So charge them more, and don’t give them anything extra, our tax dollars, to come here.
Oh I can hear the cry now, they will find somewhere else to go! Really? Like where? What will happen if they leave? Some other town or city will bend over backwards and pander to them like Scottsdale? Or will they will take our sunshine? These sports and arts subsidies don’t add much to the economy, heck if you dig down into the numbers, they COST us money to bring them and put up with them, so good riddance to bad rubbish. People will still come to Scottsdale and the city will still get income, but without having to pay for it up front.
As for this art council, what in the world do they do? Are they responsible for the wasteful spending on the road debris that litter the side of our bridges? For example the Technicolor reeds on Thomas Road. Is that their doing? Heck, go to the local schools and ask the kids for inspiration and then a local artist can do something from that. Tada! You have local children and a local artist, win and win! No council needed.
Look this council has rammed down infill development and bars in every single space they can find. Oh Ms. Littlefield and Mr. Smith are the newbies, so they get a pass, for now. But Mr. Smith knows of this arts council, as his wife sits on it. Ms. Littlefield surely knows of the infill blight and bar cancer that has been rotting Scottsdale for quite some time. But she is the minority voice. Yes, Korte and company just love to spread joy and disease with infill and crime, sorry bars, or is that entertainment?
Look until someone gets a clue, stops and follows the general plan, well will have no end to the plundering of Scottsdale. We are all in trouble, as I have said where is the postcard of Scottsdale with high density residential? Yeah that will bring people to Scottsdale! Come to the place just like your town! More crime! More cramped places! No sky! Watch out for that drunk! Our roads are in poor condition too! Come to Scottsdale!
So since sanity has not been blessed to our city council (as a majority – we a have a select few with sanity) and our city is in deep debt, we need money for infrastructure and public services. So all this financial misspending means we need a bond or a few dozen of them, those are the words of Millhaven. So hold on to your wallets, we are about to hear the pleadings. Too bad they never think of that when they approve of all the demands on it prior. Leadership, where is it when you need it? Heck you know we the taxpayers would approve bonds if they were for more things for us and not for paying for things that benefit someone else.