
{"id":21431,"date":"2011-10-20T14:26:01","date_gmt":"2011-10-20T18:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/?p=21431"},"modified":"2011-10-20T14:26:01","modified_gmt":"2011-10-20T18:26:01","slug":"letter-support-the-quarter-cent-sales-tax-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2011\/10\/20\/letter-support-the-quarter-cent-sales-tax-2\/","title":{"rendered":"LETTER: Support the quarter-cent sales tax"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all the rage these days to criticize government, and to distrust its intentions and actions. With good reason, in many cases.<br \/>\nBut that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean government cannot serve the people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interests. In fact, folks in public office usually try to better their community, and not just by cutting taxes.<br \/>\nHere in Orange County, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen over time that local government can promote common goals \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from supporting quality public education to protecting the environment, from assisting those least able to help themselves to fostering economic growth. That willingness to take care of our own is especially precious at a time when governments in Washington and Raleigh are driven by partisan differences and unyielding agendas.<br \/>\nGaining the tools to enhance our community and support our values underlies the decision by the Orange County commissioners to put the quarter-cent sales tax on the ballot.<br \/>\nOur public schools are among Orange County\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brightest assets. Yet the N.C. General Assembly has cut nearly $8 million from our local school budgets this year alone. Half of the sales-tax revenues are pledged toward capital improvements in both school systems.<br \/>\nState government also reduced resources and fostered attitudes that undermine a healthy business climate. The commissioners have pledged half of the sales-tax revenues to keeping businesses and jobs in our county, and to supporting new endeavors.<br \/>\nPlaced appropriately, commercial development can reduce pressures on the property tax and make our communities more vibrant.<br \/>\nSometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s simply a matter of applying resources creatively. On Oct. 21, the Piedmont Farm and Agricultural Processing Center opens in Hillsborough. More than a decade in the works, this grant-funded facility will serve local entrepreneurs trying to start or grow a food-related business.<br \/>\nThere\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something to be said for a small-business incubator where the products smell and taste good.<br \/>\nThe facility is consistent with ongoing efforts to promote a local-food economy in four partner counties, particularly Orange. We believe strongly that agriculture is an industry worthy of support and farm open space can best be preserved when producers achieve viable profits by working the land.<br \/>\nIn this case, Orange County led, and the federal and state governments followed. Times have changed and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to change with them. Not so much, though, that we forget the value of government that works thoughtfully and for the betterment of all. Please vote to enact the quarter-cent sales tax on Nov. 8.<\/p>\n<p>Barry Jacobs<br \/>\n<em>Orange County Board of Commissioners<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all the rage these days to criticize government, and to distrust its intentions and actions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21431"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21444,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431\/revisions\/21444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}