By Staff
City's proposed tax increase completely insane'
To the Editor:
I am not in the habit of writing letters to the editor; however, I just read where the city of Meridian is saying that they are going to have to raise our taxes 5 percent.
If there was ever a city that is hell-bent on ruining itself, it looks like Meridian is it. I say this with great dismay as a long-time resident of Meridian. I have lived here for over 40 years. I am a graduate of Meridian High School as were all my brothers and sisters. My kids are currently in the Meridian public schools. I rarely miss a Wildcat football or soccer game. I love the city and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to live here and raise my family here.
It is getting to the point, however, where I have to ask whether I can afford to live in Meridian any longer.
In light of the census results that just came out, raising taxes is completely insane. The main reason people have left the city is because of high taxes. We talk about enticing people back into the city and then we raise the taxes which were the very thing that drove them away to start with. Does that really make sense to anyone?
Real estate taxes in the county are half of what they are in the city. Car tags are less than half of the city amount. Houses are cheaper to build and purchase in the county. And we wail and gnash our teeth and wonder why our population went down.
A great deal has been said about city employees not getting a raise this year. I am terribly sorry to hear that, but guess what? As a small business owner and commissioned salesman, I didn't get a raise either. Neither did all the people in Meridian who work for minimum wage or in other jobs directly affected by the slow economy.
The city of Meridian needs to do what ordinary people do when times are hard: cut back until it hurts and then cut some more. When times are hard, the people cut expenses to the bone. We don't take vacations. We eat hamburger instead of steak. We drive cheaper cars. We get second jobs. We make every penny count. We can't wave our magic tax wand and get a raise like the city can. The city needs to operate the same way.
The city council and administration need to wake up or it won't be long until Meridian is just a nice little town just outside of Philadelphia. Please don't make me leave the city I love.
Mike Ware
Meridian
Starns case: Where is balanced reporting?
To the Editor:
Where is your fair and balanced reporting concerning Peggy Lynn Sloan Starns? Have you attempted to contact her, her family, or her friends? You do realize there are some in your community who are supporting her and her family also, don't you? Would they even speak with you after reading your views and opinions?
Susan G. Amacker
Bogalusa, La.
State Democrats are extreme'
To the Editor:
In their attempt to paper over the deep chasms of disagreement between conservative Democrats and the left-wing elements of the Mississippi Democrat Party that now control party activities, Democrat National Chairman Terry McAuliffe and Gov. Ronnie Musgrove stated at a recent fund-raiser that the Mississippi Democrat Party was "unified" and reflected "conservative southern principles of Mississippi."
Such a ridiculous statement is reminiscent of Bill Clinton looking straight into the television cameras and telling the American people that he had no sexual relationship with "that woman." Mississippians are not stupid, and Democrats must come to understand that as a party, they must sink or swim with the likes of Congressman Bennie Thompson, big labor union bosses, and the extreme left-wing elements of trial lawyer groups, which are attempting to destroy the judicial system of this country by attempting to buy state court judges through large contributions in judicial election campaigns.
The fact that the state Democrat Party would bring Terry McAuliffe to Mississippi to speak at its chief fund-raising event shows how extreme the Mississippi Democrats have become. Mr. McAuliffe was the chief fund-raiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton and orchestrated the infamous "Lincoln Bedroom sleepovers" at The White House in exchange for large political contributions to the Clintons and the National Democrat Party.
The fact that Gov. Musgrove, Attorney General Mike Moore and Secretary of State Eric Clark would attend such an event and legitimize the appearance of Mr. McAuliffe is conclusive evidence that there is no future for conservatives in the Mississippi Democrat Party. They should immediately renounce their affiliation with the Democrats and the people will respect them for it. They will also respect themselves.
Jim Herring
Chairman, Mississippi Republican Party
Canton
Where were you when WWII ended?
To the Editor:
Where were you on Aug. 14, 1945, V-J Day, the day World War II ended? Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, is more or less ignored. August 14, the anniversary of the end of World War II is unknown when it should be a day to put out the flag and to remember.
In "one of the most arresting documents of war literature," With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa, Marine E.B. Sledge describes on pages 312-315, the effect of the news of the end of World War II:
Some people's designation of MacArthur's grandstand act of formal Japanese surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, as V-J Day is 19 days after the surrender and is historically inaccurate. V-J Day is Aug. 14.
Put out the flag Aug. 14, 2001, the 56th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Dean Calloway
Meridian