Outside Agencies
There are going to be four Petition Warrant articles concerning the mandating town taxpayers to give charity to professional charitable organizations:
- Article 26 - Laconia area of Community Action Program (you know, the folks that run the two Winnie buses that run around town, pretty much empty all the time?) for $8,762
- Article 27 - Youth Services Bureau for $26,000
- Article 28 - Genesis for $9,402.89
- Article 29 - New Beginnings for $2,000
I urge all to vote these down - but contribute personally to these if you so feel led.
My problem, and has been since I learned of this practice of local government supporting these organizations. In the case of CAP, this money won't even be going to aid people who need it - it is to pay admin costs. No one will lose out on help that might be needed.
NOTE: The CAP warrant describes the activities of how CAP helps - it is disingenous as written as we on the BudComm were told this money was for OFFICE EXPENSES.
I believe in limited government that then allows individuals the freedom to choose what they wish to support, or not. When all of the "outside agencies" were inside the budget (forcing us all to vote up or down on the entire budget), they were "hidden" from view. Now that they are presented in warrant form (except for the two this year that are in the budget BECAUSE of the warrant voting last year), they have the visibility they should have.
You may support these organizations and decide to vote for the warrants. In doing so, you help to increase your own taxes. However, this is also a case to ask yourself - am I being a friend to my neighbors, am I being compassionate to my friends in town, by forcing them to pay extra in their taxes at the same time just because I like this organization? What if they don't? Am I being the one that is helping to tip that elderly couple's finances just enough such that property taxes just will be enough to push them over the edge? Who am I to take that freedom away from others to make that choice individually?
Is that the right thing to do? Or is the better thing to do is to personally canvas those same people and see if they would voluntarily contribute to these organizations?
Remember, these organizations, no matter their arguments otherwise (for they want you to believe that they ARE part of government even as they are not accountable TO that government), receive lots of your tax money already at the County, State, and Federal levels.
I personally get tired of hearing the heads of these organizations that "we have to show that we have community support in order to get other grants". When the NGOs were buried within the budget, what that actually translated to in reality is "we have to persuade a small number of politicians (2 Selectmen and 7 BudComm) members to not kick us out of the budget."
So tell me, is that really "community support"? Nine people? Or do the harder (but truer) work to actively seek those in the community to voluntarily contribute?
I plan on voting "NO" on these warrants. The BudComm decided against recommending them all. In my opinion, there is just too much duplication of services amongst all of the NGOs to support these folks with my tax dollars...
...and I do not want to force you to shell out your precious dollars during economic time either.
I want you to have the freedom, the liberty, of choosing with your own dollars whether to support them personally (and not raise your taxes).
