Archive: Opinions

Lansing school officials are between a rock and a hard place.  On the one hand they are spending taxpayer money to qualify its taxpayers for negligible rebate checks because some voters have told them they would not have approved the budget this year if it hadn't been for state tax caps and the checks.  On the other hand she acknowledges that the district is paying more in taxpayer money than it is worth to document that it is eligible for the rebates.

Connie Wilcox had it right at Wednesday's joint Town and School Board meeting -- local taxing authorities should say no to Albany's unfunded mandates and political games that appear to benefit taxpayers while actually costing them more than it is worth.

Or as Councilman Ed LaVigne said, saying no to Albany sends a message that we are not falling for such political games and we are not accepting more unfunded mandates.

Or as Nancy Reagan put it, although she was talking about drug use, "Just say no."

Superintendent Chris Pettograsso said Wednesday that a single unfunded mandate to implement the Common Core Curriculum cost Lansing taxpayers well over a half million dollars last year alone.  She has led a lobbying group to Albany to protest unfunded mandates or to get Albany to pay for its mandates.  While it feels good that she is doing this, there is no tangible evidence that it is working.  Kudos to the Town Board for refusing to play this game at taxpayer expense.

At the same time, sending the message by saying no as LaVigne suggested -- there isn't a glimmer that would work either.  His suggestion that we vote for candidates who oppose unfunded mandates makes a lot of sense.  But even when we do, guess what?  More unfunded mandates.

Wilcox is right -- the checks may be in the mail, but they're not worth it.  For the relatively tiny amounts taxpayers get back we end up spending much more in our local governments as they try to figure out what Albany wants to qualify their taxpayers for the little checks.  And in Albany, which has had to hire God knows how many people to administrer and explain the program.

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