One Cent Sales Tax Increase in Little Rock Passes

If you haven't heard already, both sales tax increase proposals passed 54% to 46% in yesterday's local election. I was against one of them and for the other and I don't mind saying it. One was a 3/8 cent hike for "Capital Investments" (primarily a huge pot of money to be generated for ten years for "discretionary" spending/investment in local commerce, i.e. a research park, whatever that is--pretty vague), and the other a 5/8 cent hike for "City Operations" (maintenance and improvements on what we already got that we can't afford anymore--roads, sidewalks, parks, zoo, bike trails, half-burnt recreation centers).

The voting groups in this election were pretty telling. The votes split primarily along socio-economic lines and neighborhood lines--but not necessarily along party lines. Still, once again though, we were split almost dead-down-the-middle. We're polarized again, even when we don't split on political ideology.

There was a significant African-American turnout that was divided. I heard they broke down along local/personal political lines. It's a bad time to ask people who are struggling financially to take on more of the tax burden. But lots of the neighborhoods (sidewalks, streets, and services) that will be spruced up are in poorer, largely African-American neighborhoods.

Many of the residents of the older neighborhoods in Little Rock voted against the 3/8 cent increase largely because some of the money is headed out to west county for two new fire stations. We didn't ask anyone to clearcut the Ouachitas and build McMansions and new strip malls. They can obviously afford their own "green" fire stations. After all, Obama is paying 10 million of the 10.8 million that they need if I understand correctly.

Some wanted their shiny fire engines, but didn't want to pay for cruddy, inner-city sidewalks.

And yet another group simply believed that the city needs more money, and in the grand scheme of things, we're talking about an extra dime on a hundred dollar purchase. These guys won, and they're probably right. I just wish it had been handled better by the political big-dawgs in the city--on all sides. We were divided before, and this hasn't helped any. We will need to keep a Q-beam spotlight on that big ball of money that's being generated for the next decade. Forgive me if I'm cynical. I just fear that money's gonna be doled out to the same 4 or 5 guys that always get the big money in Arkansas.

I watch students at school every day--rich and poor--drop dimes in the hallway and not even bother to stop and pick them up. I may start collecting them in a mason jar and see how long it takes to fill up.

Get ready for school board elections next week. I suspect some more of the same. Wonder if we'll ever get together and agree on what's best. If we can't get together on what's good for Little Rock, how are we going to do it as a nation?! I want to see an election where the turnout is impressive and the winner gets 75% or 85% of the votes. This 50-50 stuff is just more bad news.