2003 Year in Review

No More School Taxes!

I’m retired, and I don’t want to pay any more of my hard-earned retirement benefits to taxes! There! I’ve said it, I’m glad I said it, and I’ve gotten it out of my system. However, there comes a time when I – we - have to make a decision concerning the welfare of the community as well as that of ourselves. Such a time is now.

The April 1 referendum to increase funding to the schools will test whether we will support a healthy school system or sit idly by as it slips into decline. Not only will it test our willingness to support the schools, but it will also test our united resolve to keep Morrison a worthy and vital community.

Contrary to the opinion of some, Morrison is not a place where senior citizens come to spend their final years after retirement. It is a community of young, middle-aged, and older people who have benefited from a strong public school system. Indeed, those of us who are retired should be thinking about the education of the young, for a well-educated youth is our best hope to maintain the benefits that we have.

An uneducated and undereducated youth means that the state and federal governments will spend more funds to support these unemployed and unemployable in tough times. Educated youth has a greater chance of employment – and thus benefit the economy – during times of hardship than those who lack the proper skills and positive attitudes to succeed. We may pay a few dollars more in taxes now but we may well gain much in return down the road.

Some people believe, despite evidence to the contrary, that families do not move from one community to another because of the superior education opportunities one community offers over another. Let me assure those who have any doubt that this is indeed the case. My family is here in Morrison – not in Sterling, not in Dixon, not in Moline or Clinton, Iowa, but in Morrison – for the benefits the public school system offers our son. Other families are here for the same reason. And after our son graduates, we plan to stay in Morrison. Morrison is our home.

An enlightened citizenry and a good educational environment are strong inducements to families, industries, and businesses looking for a better place to put down roots. As a senior member of Morrison, I will meet the test and vote in accordance with what is best for the community as a whole. In that way, I will ensure my own well-being.

I will vote “Yes” in the upcoming referendum, April 1. I encourage other voters to do likewise.

by William Driver, Guest Columnist
March 21, 2003