Anti-A1 Rally Tomorrow

[Cathy]

Rally September 25th

Join us on September 25th at 1:00 PM at the Capitol grounds, downtown
Raleigh, to speak up and speak out against Amendment One.

Amendment One is the legislature's third attempt in three decades
to sucker the people of NC into a scheme known as “self-financing
bonds” or tax increment financing (TIF) which will allow local governments
to issue bonds for private and public projects WITHOUT voter approval.

Spread the word - stop the madness!

Speakers will include Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate Barbara
Howe, Libertarian US Senate candidate Tom Bailey, and others.[/b]

[Wuptdo]

Cathy - did you attend this rally? Didn't see any mention of it in the N&O (still catching up).

Anyway, I saw the first "Admend One" ad last night. All those poor rural counties that new jobs and here is the way to get those jobs. Looks like "bait & switch" to me. Of course, what I really don't understand is all those people that stay in these areas. If there are no jobs and your unemployment has run out, why do they stay? Just thinking out loud.

Wuptdo B-)

[Cathy]

That ad was pretty slick, wasn't it?
Real "feel good" schmoozy, but lacking any substance to back up the inferences that A1 will bring everyone a job no matter where they live, OR that NC really NEEDS this radical amendment to promote jobs.

In selling this disastrous idea to the public, that is ALL they have to try and sell it to voters. They are trying to divert your attention away from the truth about TIF as it has been used in those 47 other States.
Arizona is the only other State that has resisted adopting TIF and they have the lowest unemployment rates and a very high rate of job growth. NC is lower than the National average for unemployment in most of it's MSA's and MANY of the metropolitan areas that have had TIF for years have rates of unemployment that are double and triple that of NC's.

That is why the "Jobs & Progress" lobbyists spent some of the $3M that they have to buy up every web domain that they could think of that was similar to www.noamendmentone.ORG; like noamendmentone.com, noamendmentone.net, noamendmentone.info, noamendment1.com and so on and so on_SEVEN domains last count. They linked these similar web adresses to THEIR website and specifically to a "Think Again" page designed just for anyone who is trying to get information about TIF that doesn't come from them.

Amending our Constitution so politicians can borrow bond money without putting it to a vote of the citizens is NOT something that the citizens have been lobbying their legislators for. This is a TOP DOWN effort by special interests groups and politicians who have 'pie-in-the-sky' development dreams that they think the tax paying citizens are standing in the way of.

They are asking you to vote away your Consitutional right to veto their spending ideas. Now, from your experience with things in Cary, and what we all see going on in Raleigh, does THAT sound like a good idea to you??
The rally went well, I think. It was small as expcted for a sunny Saturday afternoon, but it did attract some passers by who stayed and heard some very good information.

There is going to be more planned activity and I will keep you all updated.

BTW_ www.taxolina.com has a VERY good webpage about A1!
Check it out.

Cathy

[Wuptdo]

Kathy - interesting LTE about the coverage the rally received:

http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/1683378p-7925673c.html

I am sure in a few weeks the N&O will let us know how to vote for the next election. 8O

Wuptdo B-)

[Cathy]

Thanks Wuptdo,
And I'm confident that the N&O won't disappoint us.

Cathy