Buffalo shows America how to defeat tax increases, participate in a republican government
What a novel concept, the legislature listened to its citizens! Growing up in Buffalo, the heart of the Rust Belt, one gets used to an inefficient government more concerned with appeasing the special interest groups than the citizens at large. But this time, the citizens fought against over taxation, and we were heard. Regardless of political ideology and affiliation, citizens let their county representatives know that “we are overtaxed already and we will not forget who voted against the consensus of the population.”
The legislators tried to find every back door to get the sales tax increased. Even though the budget must be settled by mid-January, the final rejection came today. The county legislature broke state and local laws by the dozen trying to shove the sales tax increase through the door. The citizens never stopped the heat though. We would not be distracted. They tried to convince us that we wanted the extra tax. We told them to severely cut costs, and then we will worry about spending more in taxes! They would not even call it a tax. To the legislators, it was “revenue”. To the citizens, it was a tax. The relentless anger of the average citizen was enough to sustain visible pressure on the representatives and enough of the legislators feared recrimination at the ballot box in November. This is why the citizens won; for once, the legislators feared the citizens.
People of America, the battle can be won! If legislators realize that their constituents are paying attention, they will realize that they can and will realistically be at risk of being fired. Then and only then might they actually represent your desires. They will still try to backdoor the citizenry, but if you stay aware and keep on your toes, you have a much better chance of winning in the end. Look at Buffalo today. This is what the founding fathers were talking about when they created a republican government. Buffalo’s modern representatives wanted to increase the taxes but enough of them voted how their constituents wanted them to vote instead.
The biggest fear a legislator has, is an aware citizenry. Wake up and win the day!