Here’s the status a week following our last report:
1) Zero ‘imagine’ signs seen around town augmented with a dollar amount.
2) Zero petition listings that mention a dollar amount the signer will gladly pay above and beyond their current tax bill.
3) Zero messages from supporters received at Other Side offices volunteering a specific tax increase amount.
4) And most shocking, shocking, we say, 19 petition signers who all belong to the family ‘xxxxxxx.’
Nothing like leading by example. Wait till we hand out the little cardboard paddles at upcoming meetings and ask those in attendance to write the amount they are volunteering and hold it up for all to see. That should make for some great TV on Other Side’s video channel, currently in the planning stages.
To make things more intuitive for one and all, just below is one of those classic little fund-raising thermometers that shows how well the PYMWYMI fund raising drive is doing among the imagine and invest demographic in town.
(Note: the $2 received so far includes a $1 loan from Other Side accounts to inspire others, plus a $1 pledge from one of our readers.)
Some readers might say this report reads just like last weeks….and they’d be correct. Those who shout “I’ll gladly pay more taxes” are nothing if not consistent in their lack of follow-through with a public commitment to inspire others. Perhaps we should conduct a direct phone survey to ask for an amount; that might yield some interesting conversations.
Check out this recent Forecaster article. Sadly, our new local reporter, Matt H-squared, shows serious lack of judgment in making this statement:
The School Department has had to make deep cuts over recent years, but it is still doing well relative to other districts across the state.
Matt: the first part of that statement is patently false, or at the least, a misuse of plain English. The budgets have been essentially flat in recent years while enrollment has declined steeply. “Deep cuts,” besides being an utter falsehood by any measure, plays into the hair on fire mentality of school advocates; shame on you.
Budget dollars per teacher and budget dollars per student have climbed steadily, without exception. As to the second part, ‘doing well,’ in what regard, and meaning what?
Note: you can find some useful information here, Matt: http://www.scribd.com/doc/84161919/Brunswick-School-Dept-Budgets-Revenues-Expenditures-Etc
Pardon us for the sidebar, but a public flogging was clearly called for. The air and the press are rife with hyperbole, hyperventilation, and hyper-deception, and we will call it out as often as we can.
The high point of the article, at least as it relates to this post, is that a few more school advocates have joined the ranks of those begging for whatever tax increase it takes, while avoiding public commitments by amount.
Like we said, nothing if not consistent. In truth, those who we ask to PYMWYMI are really members of the POMWTMI demographic. They are close relatives of the same folks who would give a stranger the shirt off your back.
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