As I’ve written about before, Chenango Valley School District taxpayers are facing a $3M shortfall in the budget due to miscalculations by the administration of that district. Next Tuesday, the voters and taxpayers of CV head to the polls to vote on a school budget that will go up 14.44% due in part to the shortfall. Even if the voters turn down the budget as proposed (as they should!), the contingency budget will still raise their taxes 12.15%. Yes, you read that right, an increase of 12.15%. Looks to me like the taxpayers in CV are hosed either way.

Which leads me to ask, what is the board at CV, and the voters, thinking? According to one voter–he’s struggling with whether or not to vote for the new budget. The Press & Sun-Bulletin went out and found someone who’s actually thinking of voting for it–amazing is it not? (Read the story here.)

Why would voters pass a budget that raises their taxes 14.44%? They’ve bought into the line, “It’s for the children.” So much garbage has been foisted on taxpayers over the years with that argument. As in, if we don’t keep raising taxes every single solitary year, it somehow irreparably damages the little crumb-crunchers. They’ll grow up to become ax murderers if we don’t buy them brand new computers every year and pay the teachers ever higher salaries demanded by the teacher unions, dontcha know.

My preferred solution is too radical for most people: Stop funding public education, period. I know it’s too radical, especially in our almost-totally socialistic society. So I float a simple concept that all schools and all government entities who tax should adopt (in my humble opinion). Simply hold the line on your budget. Don’t increase it one penny for the next three years. See what happens. Yes, I know, I know. Fuel and energy prices are skyrocketing, food prices are increasing, and inflation in general is going up. But that’s the point. If you leave the budget where it is now, it forces you to do more with less–but not in a radical way. It’s small, incremental steps. Do with just an imperceptibly little bit less next year, and the year after, etc.

If it works, extend it another three years! Just keep the budget where it is and force yourself to make tough decisions–like every household in America does each day. Most people (with exception of those who suckle on massive welfare programs) figure out how to do more with less every day. We can’t just “tax” our neighbors and transfer their money into our pockets. The government does a good job of that already! No–we have to figure it out. So too should school boards, city governments, county governments–anyone who has access to our money. Figure it out. Be responsible for a change.

To the voters/taxpayers of Chenango Valley: Vote NO! And keep voting no until the board gives you a budget that holds the line. And throw them all out at the next election cycle and vote in people committed to letting you keep your hard-earned money. Quit falling for the old lie, “It’s for the children.”

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