Before the last election I made an analogy of a fat man needing his burgers when it comes to tax dollars. Since the election has passed and the key measures of that election have failed that hasn’t changed. He is still going to need his burgers he just won’t be getting them from where he wanted to, burgers being a metaphor for revenue and the fat man being a metaphor for the city of Mesa and its leaders. Those who feared granting the city council property tax revenue said okay to a sales tax, and now they will be asked to pay even more for utilities:Water-6.6% increaseSewer-5% increaseGarbage-5%In addition to that there will be a $3 a month for environmental program compliance. One of the many arguments that were set forth before this election was the fact that a property tax would not be feasible for many who lived on fixed incomes. Many of those who were against the property tax fought it on moral grounds, not wanting to give the government more of their hard earned dollars. Well the new proposals add up to an average of $64.80 per year on top of what you will be taxed at the register every time you make a purchase in Mesa because we voted to increase the sales tax. In other words, the fat man is going to get his burgers. If the property tax were to have passed as an example: If your home was valued at $150,000 your property tax would have been $156 dollars, which you could have deducted from your taxes when you filed every year. Any increase that we see in our utilities, sales tax, etc are none deductible items. The city has grown past the stage of a bedroom community, it required more money to operate, and instead of being in control of what money you give we have now given a green light to the city council to raise the money by whatever means necessary. For those who pay the city of Mesa for their electricity, guess what, you are in the crosshairs again even though you pay more for your electricity than your fellow neighbor who utilizes SRP (an increase is in the wind). Look, this city needs money to operate; it is the 40th largest city in the United States. It is obvious that its citizens do not want a property tax, they have rejected several times. Now it is time to focus on who brought us to this dance. Mesa needs strong leadership that is able to see the future and plan for it. We can sit here and nickel and dime ourselves to death or we can get on the ball and elect people to represent the best for this community. We didn’t get into this crisis because each one of us spent too much or didn’t plan well enough. We got into this mess because we have had a failure of leadership.
Archive for May 23rd, 2006The truth about Jesus - exposedMay 23rd, 2006, 2:58 am by SharonAre you one of the 45 million adults that have read Dan Brown’s DeVinci Code? Are you one of the 11 million that say The De Vinci Code was helpful? Do you know in the last 3 days the movie earned 24 million as it opened around the world? Like me, you may be curious and want to know more —We have that opportunity Saturday, May 27 - doors open at 8:30am. 9:00am - 12:30pm Dr. Nate Feldmeth, Professor of Church History, Fuller Theological Seminary, will be speaking on The De Vinci Code. It’s FREE at Word of Grace Auditorium, 655 E. University Dr., Mesa, AZ 85203He may answer some of your questions. Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene, having children - her womb being the Holy Grail? If you’ve wondered about the divinity of Christ the idea that the original writers of the New Testament did not claim that he was may leave you with more questions than answers. Did Constantine in the 4th century come up with Jesus divinity for his own reasons?The mystery and intrigue is almost too much to ignore. The important thing to know is that we personally need to know the truth - we personally need to discover the myteries of Christ that only God himself can reveal. That is if you believe as a Christian or if you’ve been wondering if this is something you want to have knowledge about. The De Vinci Code states in the book that what is written is ficticious, I understand the movie does not say that but to the contrary starts out by saying this is a true account of the life of Jesus. Check out this website.Is the world really ready for this? I know I cleared the room some time ago in an academic setting when religeon became a topic and a few of the men had quite vocal opinions. I wanted to see the reaction of the handful there - I asked "Didn’t you know Jesus (was) is a woman?" Of course they laughed in my face, it was pretty far out even at the university. I had just come from a class that talked about church history and surprised upon hearing - when St. Thomas Aquiness went to set up what was to be the universal church he pondered two philosophies - one being men and women were equal in every aspect of life, the other a patriarchal society. A few wondered if such a choice was made - could this have been a decision made to serve him well - to place men in power - and what better way than through one’s religeon?I decided for myself - we are all equal, we each have natural desires to fulfill God given gifts of bearing and nuturing children, the center of a home that can be loving, a spirit given to women that has a deminsion she rarely gives herself credit for. Men want to protect and provide, to care for in a different but just as meaningful way. At least that’s what I seem to get out of life’s experience. Booming Business on Main St.May 23rd, 2006, 2:51 am by SharonIn the Sunday Tribune Business news a refreshing front page article reported by Ed Taylor, Renewal’s ripple effect, I could hardly wait to read what was going on along Main and Hobson by Pioneer Park and the Arizona Temple.I recall sitting in on the Mesa City Council meeting when the Pioneer Plaza Retail Center in the initial stages began discussions. I thought to myself this is great! I turn at the corner, Main and Hobson, a couple of times a week - north to University, my destination Word of Grace. The NE corner of Main and Hobson is a dirt lot that was unsightly for a long time but has been cleaned up.It seems that was a long time ago the project was given the go ahead as far as those first few steps in the process. I am more aware today of the "red tape" that one must go through as we learned from proposition 100 that did not pass to expedite matters.I’m sure the retail center will be a great asset to the community as it will include offices, gift shops and beauty salons. It is also "kitty corner" to the Arizona Temple who will improve what used to be Arby’s by replacing the lot with parking and landscaping. They also will be redeveloping off Main for a retail center. Nearby, a proposed Mesa Main condos project with luxury condos - if only I had $400,000 to purchase one!All in all, it sure looks like a facelift to me. Hopefully, they will go up quicker than some in our recent past history. I hope someone will be putting in a nice restaurant that’s not too expensive. I love Dairy Queen which is close by but no where to sit down or take a group of friends. Between the two "Mega Churches" a restuarant would be a hit - not to mention those coming from the Mesa Art Center! |