EDITORIAL: Against it, then for it

Saturday, January 30, 2010

In November, the voters of Dutchess County handed control of the County Legislature back over to the Republican Party. In part, this was a result of anger over rising county taxes.

So, what does the new Republican Super Majority party do in its first month in office?

You guessed it — move to raise taxes, including one that Republicans opposed just two months ago, when Democratic Party still had controll of it.

The Super Majority Republican Legislature on Monday adopted a resolution reinstating the county’s 4.25 percent sales tax on clothing and footwear costing up to $110.

The Super Majority Republican Legislature is also considering asking for state approval to reinstate the county’s 0.25 percent mortgage tax.

There are not a lot of good choices. County Executive William Steinhaus, a Republican, crafted a 2010 Executive Budget proposal that ( PRESUMED ) a lot of things and, accordingly, has forced the issue on taxes in a time of eroding revenue streams.

Among other things, the budget assumed the $5.4 million in revenue that taxing clothing and footwear is expected to generate and $1.7 million from the mortgage tax.

 Let us not forget the Executive took  $14 MILLION Dollars from the Fund balance, the same $14 MILLION Dollars of your money to bring HIS Proposed Budget with a zero increase to residents that was actually totally false.  His proposal always had an Increase in Taxes, the Presses and Media just never told the Public.

Democratic Legislators quite responsibly left the assumptions in the budget , as there was not enough votes from the Republican Minority to present needed changes to produce a Corrected Version of what the Executive Steinhaus presented on Halloween Eve., without providing for a corresponding authorization of the taxes.

The explanation of Legislature Chairman Robert Rolison, who was among GOP lawmakers to be against the mortgage tax before being for it, is, at best, unconvincing. “The situation is worse now,” said Rolison.

Not really. The world — not even the provincial world inhabited by a county legislature — has not demonstrably changed in the last two months.

What’s changed is now being responsible, rather than simply a yapping minority seeking to claw its way back into power

Comments

On Jan-31-2010 01:33 PM Mr. James R. Doxsey:

When the Voters were mis – led to believe the mailings and mis-information and mis-leading media presented to them in 2008-2009, the people made their decisions on those presumptions.

How is it that twisted and partial mis directions are allowed into the papers and media? One should really ask themselves that question.

Press has such a power to bring the Facts, and just the Facts to the people. Let the people decide what is the proper direction to go in, as long as the Facts are given to them. With this Power given to the Press, it is very difficult to get a proper quote of an untwisted version of what is actually taking place.