Letter to the Editor

No new taxes

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Dear Editor,

I was born and raised in Blytheville and have lived here most of my life. I own property here and work at a local family business downtown. This "IS" and "ALWAYS" has been my hometown. I live adjacent to the city limits, but technically in the county. Just because I can't vote on city matters doesn't in ANY way mean the results don't personally affect me. And there lies the reason for this letter...the impending local sales tax vote.

I have a really hard time with the reasons this administration is pushing this sales tax increase is so hard. Blytheville has a lot of problems....recent shootings, school issues, the hospital, jail fees, the past IRS debacle, the Water Dept. missing monies. I could go on. And in my opinion, and that's exactly what it is, MY OPINION, the people running this city need to learn where money comes from and how to manage it.

We have factories closing and laying off people every day. People are seriously trying to make ends meet and our local government wants to raise the tax just a little bit more. Why don't they just stick a "CLOSED FOR BUSINESS" sign at the north, south, east and west entrances to Blytheville.

If you ask most people, they don't even know there's a vote on a sales tax. And if you ask them what they think it's gonna do to their wallet, they sure don't want their taxes to go up.

I can't vote. But I can write a letter. I can plaster "NO NEW TAXES" all over our store front windows at Russell's Sales. I can and will talk to as many people as possible about this sales tax. I have heard that there are certain members of the government going to the local churches and "talking up" the sales tax.

This sales tax is not designated for anything particular and it's NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, EVER GONNA GO AWAY! Why is that? What do the mayor and city council need this money for? They can't tell us. But they need to learn to work with what they have. They need to govern better. They need to learn the people of Blytheville are just about sick and tired of every time a problem comes up with money, well, we'll just have a new sales tax.

They need to learn to fix the problems and quit shuffling them around for later. I personally don't have a problem with any of our local officials, they're nice and decent folks, but come on people, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

The citizens of Blytheville have been told to vote for a tax to cover the IRS missing funds, and on one was held accountable for that.

Vote for a Hospital tax, Missing funds from the Water Dept., where no one was held accountable and now vote for an open-ended tax that has NO SUNSET DATE, so the city officials can do what? Where is it going? To buy new Parks and Recreation trucks? And now you're gonna vote on another tax right before Christmas for the hospital and Quorum Court about the courthouses, that tax won't sunset for 25 or 30 years. My hope is that everyone that reads this and agrees, go VOTE AGAINST, this sales tax and any new taxes our current officials come up with. Blytheville is a great little town, but like many people, can't take much more before our back is broke, literally.

-- Kim Russell Bowman

Russell's Rents and Sales, L.L.C.