Letter to the editor: Measure 2 would make life much better in North Dakota

Let’s imagine life for all North Dakotans with if we all say yes to Measure 2.

Currently, out-of-state developers in the Oil Patch are given an incentive by our generous government, letting them build developments for more renters without paying property taxes.

North Dakota developers do have to pay property tax. Yet Keep It Local-North Dakota (KIL-ND) keeps telling us we should keep paying property taxes so out-of-staters don’t get a break. Did you catch that little twist there?

Thousands of renters are moving in for the oil boom, using services currently funded by property taxes.

With “yes” to Measure 2, the developers and renters will have to pay their share for those services. Measure 2 saves us North Dakotans from footing the bill for the services they use.

Your mortgage is paid and now you can celebrate truly owning your home for the first time. You don’t have to pay the government a rental tax. Also, you can spend the money the government used to take. You can make home improvements and not get penalized for increasing its value.

And, the increased money you spend on improvements, or whatever you enjoy, just increased the sales tax revenue. No one had to raise the taxes.

If your Social Security decreases, at least now, because of Measure 2, you are secure in your home because you paid off your mortgage.

If other taxes should increase anyway, it’s OK. You have your home. And you have the choice to spend less elsewhere. You would have no choice, though, if the government could still demand property taxes from you.

Once every 10 years or so a fire truck is needed, and a school is needed now. The legislation is required to give you the money for both the truck and the school; Measure 2 stipulated that. How nice! You don’t have to lose your home to provide those services for all the renters. Plus, the government can no longer place conditions on how you spend the money. Measure 2 has given you local control for the first time!

Here’s a bonus: social service workers will hopefully no longer harass your family and children. The second highest levy on your property tax paid their wages. Make no request for legislation to replace that tax burden, then parents, raise your children the way you know how!

Keep your home; all people pay for services; defund social services; and have real local control. It’s clear things will be better if we say “yes” to Measure 2.

Nikki McAlpin

Grassy Butte, N.D.

Tags: measure 2, letters, opinion