Spending Other People’s Money

To the Editor,

I urge all intelligent property owners of Newtown to say no to the dumbest budget ever perpetrated on this town. The proposed $68.9 million town budget is a travesty and obscene. We will soon overtake Danbury. Last week’s letter by C.L. of Hundred Acres Road is so typical of Reed’s soldiers that if the budget was to be increased by 5 percent or 20 percent or 50 percent this same diatribe would be sent to The Bee for publication. Why can’t we have no increases to the budget for five years instead of the one mill rate increase every year as was stated? Since we are told that we have a large increase of pupils why can’t people with children pay an additional $100 per child? Naturally that’s not lawful, but taxation without representation is also non-lawful. Mr Reed please show the people of Newtown some facts instead of words of savior for our children, who won’t be able to live here anyway. Show us a plan on how you will increase knowledge amongst our children, such as reading, writing, English, mathematics, and science.

Mr Iassogna, where and whom did you get your figures from, stating the last ten years the increase of students was 30 percent and the next five years will be 25 percent? Another brilliant statement made two years ago was we need sidewalks in the center of town and it won’t cost the taxpayer anything because we have a surplus of $200,000.The rest of Newtown doesn’t need sidewalks I suppose.

An editorial 03/17/2000. Newtowners are driving bigger cars and building bigger houses. Where are they and who are they that you are talking about, or is this a way to help slide a fraudulent budget increase. The use of words without backup seems to sway taxpayers. The more taxes you pay the less money you have for yourself and family. It’s so easy to spend other people’s money when the habit of raising the budget becomes the norm. We are a cash cow to these people. The only choice a taxpayer has is to trash this idiotic budget and make yourselves heard. Vote No. A  Resounding No.

Paul J. Fortugno

44 Philo Curtis Road, Sandy Hook                             April 10, 2000