Letter to the Editor

Tax relief for emergency workers

To the editor:John Blackwell's letter caught my attention regarding property tax relief for seniors as applied to government schools and universities. After mulling it over awhile, I liked his idea even though I'm not quite to age 62 yet. How about a similar or better break to veterans, plus police officers and firefighters?

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm somewhat biased toward vets because I am one but also have high regards for police and other emergency service folks. Collectively, I believe these people have served and even sacrificed far more than any other contributing group of Americans, especially over politicians and government bureaucrats. So give them all a break where government school property tax are concerned. After all, one could surmise that this is a form of socialist fascism because with property taxes for schools you never fully own or control your property. And if all vets are deemed unworthy of the break, at least disabled ones should be. Consider also the immediate families of military, law enforcement, and other emergency folks who have made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives.

So yes, bug the wits out of elected officials at all levels about these issues (operative word: "elected"). Parents and taxpayers should also demand the abolition of tenure and Marxian-inspired teachers unions, not to mention demanding your rights to monitor any class at any government school without notice. Thanks for the ideas, Mr. Blackwell.

JOE MARTIN, Jackson