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From
Bradbury Township
Mille Lacs County, Minnesota |
Mille Lacs News Since 4/18/07 |
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| If Nexus paid property taxes, we wouldn't need a school referendum. |
Editorials |
Higher taxes??? |
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Past Editorials 8/5/07 Paying the Price
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Sunday, August 5, 2007 Paying the Price Mille Lacs News staff writer
One of the advantages of not having kids is that I can't get blamed for being a bad parent. I also have the luxury of thinking that if I were a parent, I'd be a pretty damn good one - because there's no proof that I wouldn't be.
My kid, (if I had one) would be perfect. He (or she) would be polite and friendly, get straight A's in school, help little old ladies across the street, be popular, well-adjusted, loving, kind to animals, and naturally good looking. I'd be oh so proud of his or her perfection.
I'm pretty sure that a lot of people feel the same way, that is, before they actually have children. Then reality sets in. They discover that nobody's perfect, everybody has problems, and life isn't always easy for anyone, including their beloved child. But most parents love their kids in spite of it all; and after a brief period of black lipstick and a rebellious nose-ring, the kids grow up and turn out fine, and the cycle of life continues.
As a non-parent, I support these OPKs (Other People's Kids) and want them to succeed. After all, I'm paying for their public education with my tax dollars, which gives me some sort of stake in the matter. And even though I don't have children in school, I haven't minded (too much) paying just as much for their schooling as if I did. Why? Because I'm a member of the community and children are our future. We should all contribute to the education of the youth in the communities in which we live. That's my belief, anyway. (But don't expect me to join the PTA or attend school board meetings, okay?)
Maybe I sound self-righteous, but by paying my taxes and supporting the public schools, I feel that I've done my duty.
I don't feel obligated, however, to support OPKs from outside the community. And yet I am paying for them. We all are. We seem to be "the gifts that keep on giving."
For instance, I might be more amiable towards the Mille Lacs Academy if the teenage sex offenders being serviced there were from my town of Onamia. But at least most, if not all of the MLA juveniles have been convicted, through the judicial system, of criminal sexual behavior which has caused harm - to someone outside of Mille Lacs County. Yes, most, if not all, aren't from around here but come from other counties in the state. Some are sent in from other states.
Now, as I said before, I don't mind doing my part in supporting kids in my community, but I don't like having to pay for other people's problems. Does that sound harsh? Sorry. I'm aware that most of the MLA residents come from bad situations where they have suffered abuse, some of it horrific. They have also been abusers and have victims of their own.
But is it my responsibility to keep paying and paying for other people's bad character or poor parenting skills? Is it yours? We have a no choice in the matter. Its sort of like "Forced Charity".
Now some members of the community are saying that Nexus shouldn't have to pay property taxes. To me, that's just plain foolish. Nexus rakes in approximately $23,000 PER DAY. Nearly all of that comes from tax dollars. Don't you think they should give something back to the community?
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Hannabelle's Blog: Caution: Not for the politically correct. Hannabelle's
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Just one sex offender in the neighborhood can drop your property value by 17%
and make your property next to impossible to sell. |
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Sorry Bill We shop at
in St. Cloud Lower prices Better selection Worth the trip! |
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Nexus
and your tax dollars |
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