Letter to the editor: Baseless fear is the tool wielded against Measure 2

The coalition opposing Measure 2 is spreading baseless fear in their efforts to defeat the measure.

Measure 2 is a tax decrease. It puts the members of the Keep It Local-North Dakota Coalition at the back of the funding line and requires all government services to be fully funded before any special interest funding. This is why the 80-plus coalition members are so shrill in their opposition. It has nothing to do with concerns about taxpayers. Every dollar they don’t get is a dollar in taxpayer pockets.

There will be no lines begging the Legislature for funding. The coalition opposing Measure 2 knows this is a lie. The measure itself says the opposite. The measure requires a formula to guarantee funding: full and proper funding of all government services. Read it.

This formula will be just like the formula that is in place and provides funding for our K-12 schools. No one is standing in line to get funding for schools.

Measure 2 makes funding basic government services a constitutional mandate, just like schools. It works for K-12 and it will work just as easily and simply for funding of all government services.

Remember the sales and income taxes we pay are imposed to fund our basic government services at the county, city and township level. The problem is special interests — i.e. the members of the coalition to defeat Measure 2 — have hijacked this money. That’s why property taxes have been increasing, to make up for what special interests are taking. That is why we must pass Measure 2. Only with Measure 2 will we have local control over our money and finally actually own our homes.

Measure 2 will give us local control over our taxes and homes. Measure 2 requires government to fund government services before special (i.e. KIL-ND Coalition members) interests. Measure 2 will reduce our tax bill by almost $1 billion a year. This is why KIL-ND is spending millions to defeat Measure 2. They are the ones that will not be getting our tax dollars.

We hope all voters think about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own their homes and to cut off special interests from taking our tax dollars to line their pockets.

Robert L. Hale

Minot

Tags: measure 2, opinion, letters