This is in response to Scott Duguay’s letter, printed Sept. 11. Mr. Duguay is misdirected in his finger pointing. Most will agree that the tax burden needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, his apparent anger is misplaced. Perceptions that firefighters, police and civil servants are the reason for the current tax burden are way off the mark. His anger should be focused squarely on the federal and state governments who consistently pass unfunded mandates, leaving municipalities and their taxpayers to foot the bill.
Mr. Duguay would be hard pressed to find any municipality that has not been directly and, in most cases, severely impacted by these unfunded mandates. Suggestion that a tax cap passage will change the way municipal government operates is correct – it will virtually eliminate all public safety services, including fire and police. The remaining teachers will have class sizes that will double, and social service agencies will be left on the side of the road. Sounds like a great plan.
This will make Mr. Duguay happy. With the elimination of public safety services, he no longer will have to be concerned about firefighters eating, police trying to keep the streets safe or, in his opinion, wasting gas.
Instead of criticizing firefighters and police, maybe he should direct his anger at state government, which created these unfunded mandates, not the municipal employee.
The tax cap proposal does nothing to change state legislators or the governor, where the real problem exists.
By the way, Gov. Baldacci uses an SUV.
Lisa Cailler, Poland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
