By Rusdon Ray
How can voting NO on Prop 406, the Gilbert sales tax increase, protect public safety more than voting YES? Doesn’t NO new tax mean no additional money for the town to be able to use for more police and fire? Isn’t it obvious?
Public Safety is more than just police and fire. All communities and countries have police and fire protection and most have more than Gilbert, yet they are less safe than Gilbert. What is it then that really contributes the most to public safety? I believe it is good families and strong morals taught by parents and churches. A free society, with limited government, contributes the most to churches and families. With higher taxes, which equals more government, the people have less freedom and therefore are less able to flourish in an atmosphere that best contributes to public safety.
Take for example this recent threat of Gilbert outlawing home church services of “Bible Study” by an over reaching town official under the guise of keeping our residential streets more clear of vehicles and congestion. This situation is very telling of what a bigger government, than the one we have, would really be doing for us. Who thinks our society would be better off with more government officials patrolling our streets in exchange for our freedom to worship? I submit our society would be much worse off, and I would ask anyone to try to find a community that has more police and fire protection and government control than Gilbert that has a safer public than Gilbert.
Public Safety is best preserved and maintained by the family and the freedom to worship and NOT by an increase in the size of government which raising taxes guarantees. I encourage all to Vote NO on 406 (maintaining town revenue at its current rate) to keep government limited. We need to focus on what truly adds the most to public safety; our family and our religion.