Some Things To Vote Against

One dirty little secret about the modern practice of politics in our democracy is that it is far easier to motivate people to vote against something or someone than it is to get them to vote for something or someone. As motivating factors go, nothing trumps anger and frustration. So if you are angry and frustrated with the inexorable climb of Newtown’s property tax bills, you are far more likely to vote in next Tuesday’s budget referendum than the person who is ambivalent about or even satisfied with the proposed 5.9 percent increase in the tax rate.

It is hard, at this point, to gauge the level of opposition to this year’s budget, but judging from the small sample of letters to the editor and public comments we have read and heard, the budget opponents are out there, and as always, they are planning to vote. The commitment of budget supporters is less clear. Last year, when the proposed budget failed twice before passing on a third try, barely one in five eligible voters went to the polls.

The $102,232,877 bottom line on the 2007-2008 budget proposal is historic, topping $100 million for the first time. But it is not the only line in the budget. There are other lines that detail our annual investment in education, safe roads, police services, ambulance and fire protection, health department inspections, parks and recreation, the library, economic development, and open space acquisition. The town’s long tradition of supporting these investments has built the infrastructure that shapes our community life. It is our legacy from generations of taxpayers who believed that these things are important not only for the moment, but also for the future.

If next Tuesday, you need something to vote against to get you out of your chair and down to the polls, then vote against inadequate schools, deteriorating roads, diminished public safety, parks and playing fields that are both overused and increasingly unavailable, a library languishing in neglect, and a landscape filling fast with more houses for more people demanding more taxpayer-funded services. Vote against becoming a person who is angry and frustrated by life in a town unable to meet its social contract to maintain and preserve a livable community for all of its citizens.

The polls are open from 6 am to 8 pm on Tuesday, April 24, at the Newtown Middle School on Queen Street.