The Fort Smith city governments’ report card on entertainment & economics April 30, 2011
Four of the Ft Smith city directors, Good, Merry, Tyler, & Weber evidently have no problem in bullying the city’s taxpaying citizens. It is highly likely that none of the four are constitutionally acquainted, but if they are they have no compunction in relegating it to the trash bin.
Subject: The Food Tax. They are using the force of government to send hired government goons into privately owned businesses with the demand they turn their profit & loss statements over to the city for analysis regarding their food sales to ascertain if the city is getting their “shareâ€. The fact that the federal government does it does not make it right. Both are corrupt and by what constitutional authority?
Any business owner who has created a business out of dreams and hard work and claim as their very own, then be forced to allow the filthy tentacles of any government to forcefully invade his or her premises is unconstitutional & an absolute invasion of privacy…Amendment IV.
This is precisely what the aforementioned named four are directing the city of Fort Smith to do: use force to invade private businesses in the name of the “Prepared Food Tax†exacerbating the issue by not allowing a vote by the citizens on this very important economic and constitutional issue.
This is exactly one of the reasons our Revolution was fought… “No taxation without representationâ€.
In all likelihood the aforementioned four have never created a business, hired employees and sustained the jobs that have been created through sweat and blood. Therefore; adding to their unpleasant conduct, these four Directors have no understanding of the further demands placed on businesses by the unconstitutional tax to be used to breathe some modicum of life into the moribund Convention Center. This coupled with the additional millions the food tax will produce with no accountability.
There are of course the matters of the Pipe Dreams known as the Marshall’s Museum, allegedly a private endeavor, the West End Park, professional baseball, expansion of Ben Geren Park, ad infinitum. You give the economic grade on entertainment.
In view of the above extravaganzas, real & proposed, comes the city’s economic/industrial report card. A letter-graded report ranking economic vibrancy in Fort Smith during the 4th quarter gave the manufacturing town a split grade of C-/D+ , The Compass Report by Jeff Collins published in the Ark. Democrat-Gazette under the heading “The changing nature of employmentâ€.
Any business oriented citizen would have no problem determining where the city’s direction should be pointed. It seems that the City Directors are oblivious to the realities of our city & government. Raising taxes in a time of recession/depression, with citizens struggling mightily economically, inflation exploding, thousands of illegals nesting in our city absorbing “benefits†in astronomical proportions, while government agencies sit on their duffs refusing to enforce laws, clamoring for pay raises, and continuing to pursue “entertainmentâ€â€¦not a proper function of government….can only lead to further destruction.
As long as the aforementioned conditions exist there cannot possibly be a spirit of cooperation among the citizens. The city government is bloated in financing, employees, and poor management. Many thanks to Directors Catsavis, Hutchings, and Settle for their votes against the tax.
Kindest regards,
Joe McCutchen