Letter about R-P referendum

By News Team
ads@fillmorecountyjournal.com

Fri, Dec 14th, 2012
Posted in Rushford Letter to the Editor

Comments

To the Editor,

When I mentioned to a proponent that increased taxes for a new school are problematic for people on a fixed income, she said, “There are a lot of old people with money here. They are just greedy.”

The 2007 flood was absolutely devastating as we all know. The city has nowhere near recovered.

Taxes in Rushford are already too high given purchases of land at over $80,000 an acre plus construction on a white elephant and a road to nowhere. Next year’s tax assessment was increased by 2.9 percent.

2009 median income for R-P is 27.7 percent less than the rest of the state. Today the country’s median income has also fallen by more than $4,000.

The cost of living index for Rushford is 85 on a scale of 100. We spend winters in California. The fact is that it is more expensive to live in Rushford than here. Our taxes are almost half of Minnesota’s, electrical rates are lower as is natural gas, and cost for water isn’t that much different either.

When the Bush tax cuts expire, all will pay more in federal taxes. Add also the coming requirement to buy expensive Obamacare health insurance. Increased taxes will also force owners of rental properties to raise rents.

Our country’s economy is flat. It will not recover soon. Obama has promised however, that we are all going to have share pain.

We do not need a new school. There are buildings throughout the world being used that are over a thousand years old. R-P has sound school structures. There is no point in abandoning them for a sparklier too expensive building.

Ehler says he will not give up. Perhaps there are greener pastures for him somewhere. Where old people really do have a lot of money and aren’t greedy.

Stan Gudmundson

Rushford, MN

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