Text The Times.

Text The Times.

I would like to take issue with your reply to the individual who texted about the school tax issue in the February 27 paper. You stated that if you do not own real estate that the tax will not have an effect on you. That is false because the tax will also apply to the personal property portion of your tax bill. This tax will be assessed on the values of your vehicles, biars, four wheelers and other items.

[Editor’s Note: What are “biars” and why do we have to pay taxes on them? But for real, I honestly don’t get the argument against the millage.

I’ve been over and over my points several times now, and I’m not even trying to change anyone’s mind here. Vote how you want to vote. I do know, if you’re not growing and improving your schools, you’re not growing and improving your community. Maybe that’s not important to you, and if that’s the case, I doubt I could convince you if I tried]

*** Sir there was a ref on front page to interstate on page 3.

There was nothing. Oops.

[Editor’s Note: Yes, that is, indeed something that happened in the March 4 edition of the Times. The story “MPO still concerned with pedestrians crossing the Interstate” was supposed to jump to Page 3 under the heading “Interstate.” Instead, it jumped under the heading “Pedestrian.” So, just in the name of trying to get it right, in case anyone else was unable to find “the rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say, I’ve re-run the story in its entirety in this edition of the Times.

Look for it on Page 7. Sorry about that]

*** Recently in Text the Times the editor stated that only property owners would be effected by the school millage increase. This is false as everyone who rents will see an increase in their rent as landlords will increase rent rates to cover this increase in taxes. Business will raise prices to cover the increase of their property tax or rent.

Personal property taxes will go up on everyone who owns a car, boat, camping trailer, four wheeler etc. Businesses will also face a cost increase in taxed for their fixtures and equipment. They also have to pay taxes on their inventory, thus prices will rise. The ones hurt the most are senior citizens living on a fixed income.

Everyone will pay more.

[Editor’s Note: We don’t save old text messages or even numbers (it adds to the indended anonymity of Text the Times) but I’ll bet this text and the one a couple of texts up are from the same person.

And looking at the two, it looks like I might have solved the mystery about “biars”…

I think maybe it’s supposed to be “boats”… the “o” and “r” keys are very close to the “i” and “t” keys, so I can see how that could happen. Man, that was really bugging me.

As for your argument, I’m no expert, but I do have a college degree that qualifies me to teach economics (but who in their right mind would, am I right?), and data does not support your agument that rasing a tax automatically triggers a cycle of rising costs like you suggest, especially one so insignificant as 5 mils.

Let me remind you that 5 mils is 5 one-hundredths of a cent, or $0.0005]

*** Whoever done this, is no laughing matter. This kind of cancer can kill a person. Pray for Alex Trebeck… [Editor’s Note: This text was accompanied by a photograph of an editorial cartoon that appeared in the March 15 edition of the Times, which I have included here so folks can see for themselves. I have to ask, did you actually read the cartoon, and if so, did you comprehend its message?

If not, please allow me to explain. The cartoon depicts Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who recently announced he is battling pancreatic cancer, in front of the Jeopardy! board describing Trebek as a “Beloved TV Icon” and having hit the “Daily Double” as being a “Fighter.” The answers, as is the Jeopardy! format, are phrased in the form of a question. Trebek himself is depicted as going “for the win” in his battle with the deadly disease. I honestly can’t see how you could look at that cartoon and make the conclusion that anyone was in any way making a “laughing matter” out of this situation at all. On a personal note, I have watched Jeopardy! since I was a kid, and I can’t even imagine anyone else hosting the show with the same panache as Trebek. It would be like when Bob Barker stopped hosting The Price is Right.

I like Drew Carey just fine, but it’s not the same without Bob, and Jeopardy! won’t be the same without Trebek. Pat Sajak and Vanna White, fortunately, seem to have made some sort of deal with the Devil and are now immortal, so I guess they’ll be on Wheel of Fortune forever]

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