SENIOR CITIZEN TAX WILL WORK FOR PENNIES A DAY

On Tuesday, Cape County voters will be asked to approve a 5-cent property tax levy to fund services to the elderly.

We ask you to look beyond the standard anti-tax excuse. There are a lot of good reasons to support this tax proposal Tuesday, but we'll boil it down to five. After weighing these reasons, we feel you'll agree it's worth a `Yes' vote Tuesday.

1. It will cost you only pennies a day. The fact is this tax will cost very little, but accomplish a great deal for our elderly. If your home is valued at $60,000, you'll pay $5.70 a year: That's less than two cents a day. On a $40,000 home, the cost per year would be just $3.80. That's less than the cost of one fast-food meal.

2. This is not a special interest tax. We all will get old some day, and the numbers of elderly are increasing dramatically. We can't wait until we hit retirement age and expect the services to be in place. Consider this an investment in your future, or the livelihood of your parents or grandparents. While the numbers of senior citizens are increasing, the federal funding has been routinely cut. Already, Cape County has 11,155 residents over age 60; about 15.3 percent of these live at the poverty level.

3. The tax has worked well in a number of other counties. Several counties including those not as well off as Cape County have already approved the tax, which was authorized by the General Assembly three years ago. In Southeast Missouri, the programs are in place in Butler, Ripley and Ste. Genevieve counties. These counties have discovered many deserving uses for the money. The tax will generate $220,000, which will remain in Cape County. We'll be helping our people not funding bureaucratic jobs elsewhere. The county commission will appoint a seven-member board to administer the funds.

4. The money is desperately needed. It will be used to increase home-bound meal deliveries and transportation in rural parts of the county, and reduce long-waiting lists. Now, meals are only delivered in the cities of Cape and Jackson. For many of these shut-ins, this noon delivery is their only human contact with the outside world. More transportation for the elderly is needed for medical care and shopping. Money will also be used to expand services in personal care, respite care, home-work, and adult day care. The nutrition centers in Cape and Jackson will also benefit. These are not just places for a nutritious noon-day meal. They provide informational programs and fellowship.

As per state law, the money must be allocated to programs for citizens age 60 and over - not entertainment or buildings. As such, the Cape Nutrition Center's campaign to construct a new building is not part of this proposal.

5. Paying the tax now will save tax dollars down the road. That's because the aim of this tax is to keep our elderly in their own homes and out of nursing homes and other care facilities. The 65-and-over population is one of the fastest growing in America. Today, there are 30 million; by 2030, that number will double. Although our elderly represent 11 to 13 percent of the country's population, they consume about a third of the nation's health care expenditures. If we can keep people healthier and at home longer, that will save tax dollars.

For pennies a day, we can accomplish so many goals. Consider this an investment in your future. Vote `Yes' Tuesday on the 5-cent property tax levy to fund programs for senior citizens.