Stupid Braintree
Sometimes I wonder if I live in a town filled with idiots. How is it that no where in these threads on the proposed override does anyone take on these two specific facts:
1). Say what you will about objecting to tax increases on principle; at the end of the day, we simply do not want any more money coming out of our pockets, right? And, most of us object to the trash fee, right? Well, an approved override would (a) eliminate the trash fee and (b) cost us less money than we're paying now. Why is it that no one in this town can intelligently refute this? Simple question: would you rather pay $140/$150 next year, or about $85? Hmmm...tough question. (And folks, answering this question by saying, ''We shouldn't be paying either...'' won't cut it; in a perfect world, maybe, but alas...)
2.) A lot of people say the tax burden should not be put on residents. Fair enough. But what about this fact: right now, with the trash fee, Braintree businesses (and there are loads of them, folks) pay nothing. If residents approve a debt exclusion, business would have to cough up money just as residents do. If you consider the trash fee to be another ''tax,'' and many of you apparently do, then why sit by while a significant segment of our town - and I'd argue, a segment that could afford more than an individual - gets a free ride on a ''tax'' the rest of us pay? Again, can someone INTELLIGENTLY tackle this question?
It's just so easy to say, ''I'm voting no on any override.'' So easy. Maybe that is our town's motto?
By Prufrock