Modern-Day Sams Defuse Doomsday
Hamilton County, Ohio’s Commission President Todd Portune has asked the county to “prepare for a doomsday scenario.â€
Gee whiz, what’s going on? Is it terrorism? Global warming? Nuclear meltdown?
No. Nothing like that. It’s just that county voters said no to a sales tax increase. Portune and other politicians now feel honor-bound to scream that the sky will fall.
But it won’t. Instead, as NAACP president Christopher Smitherman told county government, “You’ve got to tighten your belt.â€
The tax increase was largely intended to build a new jail, which residents simply aren’t convinced they need. County commissioners met this voter skepticism with shrill arrogance. They passed a new sales tax increase, even though voters just a year ago turned one down.
Looked like voters would just have to lump it. Except that didn’t sit so well with Daniel Regenold and Jason Gloyd. So, they built a diverse coalition to fight the tax increase, including the NAACP, the Libertarian Party, Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, the Green Party, as well as many volunteers.
Regenold started WeDemandaVote.com, which petitioned to put the tax increase on the ballot. Gloyd formed WeDemandaBetterPlan.com, which defeated the sales tax.
That’s why the Sam Adams Alliance just named the Daniel Regenold and Jason Gloyd of the We Demand coalition the 2007 winners of the Modern-Day Sam Adams award.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
