Cabarrus Cheap Seats

On his site, Harold Smith posted two articles of interest which are related. On June 1, he made an appeal to website visitors to sign an on-line petition opposing the proposed tax increase. Now, I didn’t sign it, because I believe the county’s explanation of why the taxes need to go up, and some of the May 2005 posts in this blog might explain how years of wanton borrowing and spending by the County Commissioners led to this problem. However, it does expose a tactic used by some in the political arena - preying on the illusion of the effectiveness of slacktivism.

Slacktivism is the idea that by signing on-line petitions or by forwarding e-mails that one can “change the world” in their own little way. This is why I’m typing into this blog and placing my little bit of research into the ether. Because there are those who are willing to act and pretend that they are “your voice” and that you’ll be heard through them. The fact is that Harold Smith and the Cabarrus Taxpayers’ Association have a pretty scary agenda and they dress it up in “sensible government” and “low taxes”, and having a list of names from an on-line petition justifies all of that. Frankly, I hope to challenge what’s out there, present some facts, and make people think - and maybe even act - a little.

Speaking of challenges, let’s move on to the rest of the post… Why didn’t Mr. Smith post a survey on county spending on the arena, or when the county borrowed and borrowed without going to the taxpayer for cheaper bonds? Because, people like him play on the assumption that all government is bloated, taxes are always high, and “government” is full of corruption, graft, and waste. People who talk like this have other agendas like disassembling the public school system or simply gaining an office. Looking at the record of the Cabarrus Taxpayers’ Association candidates, it’s very plain that the reason for tax increase was the mismanagement of the county finances by past administrations. Of course, most people won’t research this. They will often just take anyone’s word for it - especially when the source is offering an abundance of tax cuts and recycled anti-government rhetoric. Which brings us to the latest post on www.goharoldsmith.com of interest:

June 3, 2005: City of Kannapolis Looks Like Idiots … City of Kannapolis looks like idiots to the residents of NW Cabarrus County. Yesterday, City of Kannapolis sent out a mass mailing to the residents of NW Cabarrus County stating that their would be no involuntary annexation. The mailing had wrong names with addresses. One home received 6 of the same mailing (first class postage).At a cost of $2.22. A NW resident stated, “I am so glad that these pieces of junk was not my tax money.” I am sure there will be plenty of excuses. Once again, City of Kannapolis shoots itself in the foot! NW residents don’t want any annexation by Kannapolis. Harold Smith (A fighting Taxpayer and Voter)

First off, “City of Kannapolis Looks Like Idiots…” Well, I’ll leave it to you to decipher the subject, verb, and indirect object agreements in that headline. A quick disclaimer - I’m nowhere near an expert on annexation and I have an inclination to believe that people should be largely in charge of what goes down in their community. However, Harold Smith did do an expert critique of the Kannapolis mass-mailing, because he’s been behind a few. In the most recent election, The Cabarrus Taxpayers’ Association sent a mailing to 30,000 registered voters opposing the school bond, they lost. Oddly enough, the only “push poll” telephone surveys I’ve received have been attacking targets of the Cabarrus Taxpayers’ Association’s ire.

Here’s the amazing part about all of this. A mailing to 30,000 people doesn’t take a large effort - it just takes a little focus and a bunch of stamps. Knowing where to find the information to reveal the silliness spouted by some in the local political arena doesn’t take much just Google (and Mamma for the hard-to-find stuff). If you want fiscal discipline, adequate school funding, sensible development rules, and good government - you’re going to have to speak up and let those in power know. The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners meets every month and must listen to all citizens who wish to speak up.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead