Gloria Ferris

Just when you thought I had abandoned my blog for other interests, here I come again.  I have longed to take the time to sit and write a few words, but for the last two weeks I have been engulfed by the refrendum initiative to take the 1/4% Sales Tax Increase to the voters.  Some detractors say that it isn’t that much per person, that’s true, but if you read Bill Callahan’s blog post on that issue, the cumulative effect is huge, but that is not why I do it.  Others say but the Convention Center/Medical Mart will be good for our region.  Personally, I am not convinced, but could be if there were more documentation, a business plan or so on. But, that is not why I do it.  Others say it is time to tell Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora that they have overstepped the boundaries on this one.  But, that is not why I do it. Others say that a sales tax increase is regressive, it is, but that is not why I do it.

I do it because I believe that the American Public has the right to raise their taxes or not. No one else. My thoughts on the state legislature allowing something so foreign to the American way of raising taxes is a post for another day and time.  The bottom line is that our ancestors went to war because of “taxation without representation”, and I believe that that is where we are at now only now we have “taxation with poor representation”.  I believe that we the people agree to tax ourselves and our representatives at the county then administer those funds in our best interests.  That issue is again another post on another day.

Yesterday, I worked at the Booth at the Cuyahoga County Fair. One lady said, “I happen to believe that a new convention center would be a good thing.” As she walked away, I asked her this question, “Don’t you think that you have the right to decide to raise your taxes if you believe in it?”  She stopped, turned around, and said, “You’re right, I do believe that.  I should make the decision whether to raise my taxes or not to build or pay for anything.”

So there you have it.  I believe that we the citizens of Cuyahoga County are capable of making decisions on how and why our public dollars are spent. The idea of a group of politicians and so-called business leaders using a short-fuse time frame that they contrived appalls me.  Slow and steady wins the race.  Unfortunately, we have less than 12 days to gather all of the signatures we need to get this on the ballot so that We the voters of Cuyahoga Counnnty can decide our destiny. A friend of mine, Councilman Brian Cummins says, “Does any one realize that this has the potential to change the next 80 years?”  I say anything that crucial deserves consideration and delibration, not the type of hustle that has been apparent so far.

So I ask you to do what you can, sign a petition, volunteer to work somewhere gathering signatures for a few hours, circulate a petition, there are so many things we need done in these crucial dog days of summer.  Visit http://www.putitontheballot.com and help us “do things the democratic way”.