Here's the only worthwhile report from last night's meetup that might have been one of the worst public political discussions in Kansas City history . . . Or at least since that embarrassing Hillary Clinton rally where everyone left . . . Here's the word:
Kansas City Insider: Not a "town-hall" but a cheerleading session for higher taxes
I left early the so-called Town Hall meeting for the $800,000,000 GO bond. After be treated to a 15-minute dissertation of the project by Mayor Sly and the need for the project, apart from an angry citizen not waiting in line to fill out a 3x5 response card, this was nothing more than a cheerleading session.
IN other words, they answered only questions they wanted us to hear. They answered some inaccurately, and they ignored some other questions. They took NO questions from the audience EXCEPT from the one angry citizen not willing to stay silent.
The long and short of it, the mayor was the cheerleader and Randy, the finance manager of the city, had to correct and contradict the mayor when he made several gross errors. One example was the question,
"Can the city issue all the bonds at once?"
The mayor said "NO".
This is absolutely not accurate. Randy had to correct the mayor and let everyone know that "Yes" the city, or a new mayor, could issue ALL bonds all at once if a new administration decided they wanted to sell 800-million all at once.
Another number our "angry man" mentioned was the City's printed propaganda. You've mentioned it a number of times. It says the "Average increase" for a $140,000 home and a $15,000 car is $8.00. Mind you, that's not the TAX, that's the annual increase OVER each years tax. They failed to mentioned the tax Tony's KC mentions all the time.
I was interested in the "Angry-Man's" numbers and asked him. The City is, AGAIN, WRONG. The average increase for the next 20 years was, not surprisingly the $8 they are trying to sell us. In actuality, it'll be an increase 20% higher- (not the tax) $9.67 EVERY YEAR.
The medium tax over the first 20 years will be roughly $118. The City never mentioned that number. Go figure.
No real answers were put forth except exactly the propaganda this mayor wanted us to hear.
I won't waste my time with a meeting like this again.
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Double News Links:
Fox4: Mayor James holds Town Hall to explain $800 million bond request on April ballot
KCUR: When It Comes To The $800 Million Infrastructure Bond, KCMO Residents Want Transparency
You decide . . .
Only one or two REAL questions for Mayor Sly James?
ReplyDeleteSounds like campaign season all over again.
Yaak! Why do that?
ReplyDelete800 million fun money and slush fund.
ReplyDeleteThey will never ever tell you the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe toy trolley is proof of that.
Yack. Buy him a razor!
ReplyDeleteDid he say what City Hall's new coffee shop is costing? Or how many employees are getting the ax?
ReplyDeleteMy water rate has doubled and you want more money no way.
ReplyDeleteThis is laughable... If the taxes get too high, the one's that can, will move to Kansas. The ones that can't will be left hold the bag for the next 40 years. Screw the poor again, just like school desegregation. White flight went West, leaving an over bloated bureaucracy and schools unable to teach.
ReplyDeleteWe're getting screwed by downtown. And of course all the other usual suspects enjoying tax cuts, abatement deals, subsidies....
ReplyDeleteIt's basically a taxpayer gang bang
WTF... I don't give a DAMN about the increase EVERY YEAR they're promising. Why won't they tell us what the ACTUAL TAX WILL BE???
ReplyDeleteWhat's really sad is that this will probably pass in yet another low-turnout low-information voter election and the money will be thrown away in the usual KCMO government way.
ReplyDeleteThere'll be some necessary projects that may even be done well, but most of the money will be spent paying the usual insiders and grifters and buying political support and there'll be the usual lack of oversight, competence, and accountability.
If you're lucky, maybe half of the $800 million will provide something the residents and businesses of the city actually want and need.
When your behavior over the last six years has demonstrated that anyone who regards Sly and the gang with even a whiff of credibility is a sucker, a disingenuous campaign and low voter turnout are your only hopes for success.
Sad to watch.
What Slie and his cronies are hoping for is once again low voter turnout with the only ones showing up voting for this tax.
ReplyDeleteTake the time to go vote, take a friend or neighbor to the polls so they can vote. We need more than 10% of voters to turnout and vote this down.
Trust the Sly James crew?
ReplyDeleteLMAO
7:34: Your water rate has at least quadrupled.
ReplyDelete7:39: Your property tax will increase every year for 20 years. If you can figure what your first year's rate will be, use that (x) to calculate as follows: year 2 will be 2x, year three 3x, etc. until year 20 will be 20x. Don't forget to estimate tax hikes based on increasing assessments. The ultimate price will be hefty, and this is for basic services that were promised to be covered under the earnings tax way back when. Proponents will say the bonds will be retired as they are paid off, but have you ever seen a tax go away once it's imposed?
In other words James knew the party is ending and Hillary was his only chance to keep the smoke and mirrors routine going.
ReplyDeleteThis was a one-sided show. The Mayor doesn't ever address the biggest problem is this a 20 year regressive tax increase on the working people of Kansas City while the 1%(J.E. Dunn, Cerner, Cordish, Burn & McDonnell, H&R Block, etc.) don't have to pay but just use the tax increase to pay for the their private investment. I thought the dumocrats were against income inequality. Vote NO.
ReplyDeleteMost of the money will end up downtown. How much does a new Broadway Bridge cost the Mayor is determined to have the City pay for this even though the state of Missouri should be paying for this.
ReplyDeleteWhy would anybody vote for the Glorioso tax? That's what people need to start calling it if we REALLY want to defeat it.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I think we should start distinguishing from this and the animal shelter, which I support.
Sly only plays by his rules, that ha always been his strength.
ReplyDelete8:41 brings up the name JE Dunn and not paying fair share of taxes. But something I have noticed past few weeks and I will admit I have no been downtown so can't include what someone might see down here but I see Dunn trucks running all around Johnson County and all the vehicle tags are either issued from Wyandotte or Johnson Country.
ReplyDeleteIs Dunn running a scam here? Are they avoiding paying their fair share of taxes in the city they like to call home while raking in billions from work given to it from said city?
Anyone have an answer for that?
By the way all the vehicles I saw were all bought from dealers on the Kansas side as well.
We can assume the same wonderful judgement that prioritized the streetcar and single terminal airport, when there were such obvious and pressing needs such as basic infrastructure will now structure another "insider" feast. Gluttony with 800 million, while usual suspects scratch each others backs.
ReplyDeleteJust say no until the inside game has been controlled, right now it is likely to get spent on Jazz district, which just burned, the airport, which people already like better than other airports, and the trolley expansion which has no funding or justification compared to options. Note we haven't seen any smart city bs lately, nor smart grid, nor Google cheerleading, all the stuff that really didn't work and wasn't a true priority of the citizenry.
The Glorioso Glory Hole needs to fail. If he would lose two ballot proposals he would not be hired very often.
ReplyDeleteStart talking to every person you meet in stores, on the bus, everywhere, saying VOTE NO it is a CON GAME.
Those people will talk about the crazy person they met who is against the 800 million and maybe just maybe it will go down in flames.
Democrats be scammin'
ReplyDeleteDidn't I see the snowflake in the photo slapping a horse?
ReplyDeleteFACT :
ReplyDeleteKCMO Mayor Sly James thinks he's O'bama, and can just sell you naïve Kansas citians a line of bullshit, and you'll just believe whatever rolls out his lips ,,,,
Remember - you can keep your doctor and your health plan ,,,,,,,??????
Same Shit, same ol' song & dance routine, just like that pathetic O'bama Bastard !!!!
Love the Girl Power Pic Tone!
ReplyDelete^^^ LOL. Nice one. Looks like Sly really has lost some weight.
ReplyDelete