W-b Eyes $5 Million Theater Ticket 
City Council Will Vote Thursday On 
The First Expenditure For A Proposed 
Downtown Movie Facility

Area Volunteers Preparing For Mission To Honduras 
Six Men Will Donate Their Skills To Help 
Fix Up An Orphanage In Poor Central 
American Country

Tuesday, January 21, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Don't meet county tax increase with silence, instead speak up and out &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kudos to Allison Walzer and to the editorial board of The Times Leader for
their steadfastness in fighting local political corruption, government
inefficiency and waste, general malaise and stagnationMs. Walzer's Jan. 12
column should be reprinted for those who might have missed it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And perhaps I can actually find common ground with Tom Bigler on something:
namely, a Home Rule Charter or some other radically different and improved
form of government for Luzerne County, and consolidation of this Valley's
inefficient patchwork of tiny communities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Why aren't the people of Luzerne County screaming bloody murder about the
25 percent county tax increase? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Half of these folks opposed building the sorely needed arena because of a
paranoia about a potential tax increase. Now, without any cost impact from the
arena, they passively stand by while a 25 percent increase is actually
imposed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Surely a 911 system and flood protection are highly worthy spending
priorities. But why the major expansion of the Luzerne County Community
College, especially at a time when the leadership of that institution has been
so publicly disgraced with harassment allegations? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps the justification for this expenditure was been widely circulated
and debated, but I missed it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most outrageous, however, is the rampant nepotism and waste displayed on a
routine basis in county and local governments. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No vehicle or cellular phone should be provided to any administrator or
politician in Luzerne County. Vehicles should be provided only for legitimate
business, such as police cars, maintenance, courier, etc. The vehicles should
be returned to the government's garage each evening, not to someone's
driveway. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When officials drive about on official business, they should drive their
own vehicle, report legitimate mileage and be compensated appropriately, just
as is typically done in business. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All phone calls should be made from office or public phones, rather than
expensive-to-use cellular phones. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nepotism should be clearly defined and outlawed. Period. There is an
obvious conflict of interest between what is good for government and what is
good for your relative. Our political leaders understand this quite well.
Their pathetic justifications for this practice only confirm to me the
magnitude of the problem that citizens and taxpayers face here. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I think it's pretty simple, folks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If we don't collectively demand better government and if we stand by
passively while the current government abuses us, we can only expect things to
get worse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 25 percent increase in taxes will make the current government more
powerful and make us less able to fight back. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 How? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They will use the added revenue to hire more relatives and friends and to
retain the status quo. And so long as there are plenty of tax revenues, why
worry about costs and waste? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Write a letter. Attend a public meeting and express your opinion. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Call a politician and tell him what you think. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Vote when you have that precious opportunity. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Demand a referendum on our form of government. Demand more for every tax
dollar the government collects. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Demand less taxation for what is currently being done. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Demand creative thinking and action to develop and maintain our community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bruce Kerr &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dallas &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Don't Meet County Tax Increase With Silence, Instead Speak Up And Out 
Kudos To Allison Walzer And To The Editorial Board Of The Times Leader For 
Their Steadfastness In Fighting Local Political Corruption, Government 
Inefficiency And Waste, General Malaise And Stagnation.

Don't Meet County Tax Increase With Silence, Instead Speak Up And Out Kudos To Allison Walzer And To The Editorial Board Of The Times Leader For Their Steadfastness In Fighting Local Political Corruption, Government Inefficiency And Waste, General Malaise And Stagnation.