Original Letter to the Editor

What is Howard Baird talking about when he claims the wealthy will stimulate the economy if tax breaks are given, and also, how democrats unfairly whine about them not paying their fair share? Just how do the wealthy tax breaks help America? Do the wealthy use their new found money to invest in America, or just trade stocks, and real estate speculation, driving up costs and creating these glorious inflationary bubbles? Do they go out and buy domestic goods that they couldn’t afford before the tax breaks? Are they able to consume more than they do now, with more tax money, and will have more to spend?
I read the information on the National Taxpayers Union website about how much tax is paid by the lower 50% of taxpayers, and it seems to me that they don’t pay a lot of tax because (surprise) they have no money. If there was more parity in this economic system then maybe they could pay more, but in capitalism the wealthy pay because they have most of the money, and they have the most to lose if America goes bankrupt. It’s a fact of life, someone has to pay and the wealthy can afford it. The poor are spending all of their money just trying to survive with paying for housing, food, medicine, etc. They aren’t taking European vacations, or any other spending on luxuries. What would Mr. Baird have the lower 50% give up so that the wealthy can stimulate this economy? Should the poor feed their children less, or cut down on their medicines, so you may sneer at the idea of buying more domestic goods with your extra tax money, will that help America?
Actually, it all depends on how you spin the explanation, so how about this: Doctors, Lawyers, Corporate officers, etc., whine about their huge tax bills, but large deductions help them all. These people gripe about their taxes, but have nearly everything they want, and these are the lower class rich folks. All are charging the lower 100% of tax payers highly inflated prices, so they may pay their expenses, and still be comfortable. If they left more money in the clients hands, the clients might be able to pay those taxes in a more reasonable manner. But, because of capitalism, every cost is passed down the line to more and more people like a Ponzi scheme, and the profit ends up all in the hands of the wealthy, and truly wealthy, which then have the most to lose if America goes broke. That is why they are compelled to pay the most. I say balderdash to you Mr. Baird and your whitewash. The real questions are: if given more money, what do the wealthy do to stimulate the economy that they aren’t doing already? And, how much more can they consume, then they already do, and finally, how much of it goes toward our own GDP?

Dickson Street Development

I’ve lived in Fayetteville most of my life, and spent the last 11 years or so living a beer bottle’s throw from Dickson Street. I have seen a lot of changes over this time. Some of the changes have been good and others not so good. One of the best changes has been the Walton Arts Center and the Brew Pub building. Both corners used to be pretty bad looking and made Dickson look run down and a little seedy. The changes have revitalized the area and have made it better in many ways. It has also started the push to force out the undesirable less affluent residents that once made Dickson Street their home. Now the city and developers are seeing the opportunity to completely change the area and make the street that we all had fond memories of into something that only the affluent will be able to enjoy, walking distance to the entertainment. It seems that the idea is to eventually get rid of all locally owned affordable housing in favor of corporate owned luxury condominiums and specialty retail shops so money hungry developers can take advantage of peoples fondness for the Dickson Street of the past. In so doing, they completely change the essence of what the place was and make it into something that only the well to do can afford. The mayor, city council and chamber of commerce are ecstatic about these changes but then many aren’t native to Fayetteville.
Is all of this good for Fayetteville and for the Dickson Street business owners? Will the rising property taxes and fee’s force some of the owners out in favor of more diversified corporate owners that can spread their risk among many shops and properties, ones that have more of an ability to change when some part of their holdings don’t quite work out? Will the city use their new eminent domain powers to force holdouts to leave in favor of higher taxes paid by more affluent tenants? Where will the less wealthy live when the affordable houses and apartments are destroyed in favor of parking garages and luxury condominiums?
We rely on the mayor and the city council to use their wisdom when it comes to administering the city for the residents of Fayetteville, but we have seen what they do. They allow Bikes, Blues and Barbeque to happen and then gouge the vendors. Waste money on signs telling riders to, “Please Ride Quietly.” They disregard residents and non bar owners of the Dickson Street area that are trapped in their homes and can’t get to their businesses for the four days. They allow development first, roads and traffic tie-ups are a distant second. Build a giant new library then tell us they need new taxes to operate it. And now they want to approve more development and destroy the essence of Fayetteville’s downtown in favor of some new business owners and property management companies. Should we allow these changes?