NOVEMBER 17, 2010
Your View
Carefree town council has decided to continue allowing sandwich-board A-frame signs in the town center through January 2012. Somebody apparently believes the signs increase business. How anybody can tell is a mystery to me. I think a better revenue source for the town would be toll gates at all Carefree roadway entry points. Part of Mayor Schwan's official duties would be to work the booth at Cave Creek Road near Tom Darlington Rd. Of course, there would be a special surcharge at that location to discourage Cave Creek ("downhillers") residents from entering Carefree.
I approve of Carefree moving to one trash-hauling service as long as I get part of the graft and kickbacks that typically go along with the contract.
The Boulders subdivision already has one trash-hauling business making the rounds in their community. I am sure they will be allowed to be exempt ("any subdivision currently served etc.") from the requirement to purchase trash service from the Carefree town-approved company.
Doesn't anyone on Carefree council have a clue about how municipal trash contracts work? The company gets the initial contract on a low-ball bid, gets rid of all the competition, then keeps jacking up the price after the first contract expires. Whoever on council arranged the deal becomes a consultant to the company after leaving office.
I am saving my spare change and plan to buy a box of sparklers when the new Arizona law becomes effective on December 1. I may even light one in Carefree. I asked a councilman there who had voted for the ordinance that bans using sparklers what the penalty is. He had no clue. He also mentioned that he didn't read what he voted on, but that it seemed like a good idea.
I am appalled how well Republican candidates did in the recent elections. I want big government to control every aspect of my life, including health care, use of sparklers, what trash company I can deal with, and especially how my tax money can be spent on trying to save the Carefree town center.
If Carefree council makes it mandatory to use the town-approved trash hauler, I plan to save cash by sneaking my trash into a neighbor's bin after dark.
The Carefree socialist community trash scheme seems to me to be the foot in the door for a property tax. First, get residents to pay for a single trash company by selling the idea as a money-saving arrangement; then tell them they can save even more by paying a tax-deductible property tax that will cover garbage collection. How soon can I vote for the two property tax initiatives?
Regardless of other attributes, the only qualification for running for political office seems to be a large stock of cash. So much for idealism. This is how we got Ben Quayle.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to prohibit restaurants from giving away toys with meals that don't meet certain nutritional standards. Carefree council is destroying the town's beauty by allowing useless A-frame sandwich board signs to clutter the town center. Isn't government wonderful?
The Carefree council has run town center businesses into the ground over the past ten years through neglect and many misguided decisions. Now the council wants to try to fix their mess by allowing sandwich board signs everywhere. How soon can I vote these clowns out of office?
A major cruise line is offering passengers on a ship disabled in the Pacific Ocean a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. The crew was offered life jackets, shark repellent, and a chance to swim to Ensenada.
The federal government has plans for larger, graphic warning labels for cigarette packages. I suspect their next move will be to require packaging that takes at least 20 minutes to open.
The Cave Creek Bicycle Festival has done permanent damage to Spur Cross bringing hundreds of bicyclists to our trails. Since last year's festival cyclists have overrun Spur Cross scaring horses and literally running hikers off the road. This morning I listened to a group of 7 who were here practicing for the race talk about how they all RODE through the Indian Ruins. Bring tourism into town responsibly like our local businesses do, this is a shame.
In order to simplify any question or doubt about the Carefree council enacting a property tax, absolutely nothing can be passed into law with regard to a property tax without a vote of the Carefree registered voters. This is already in state statute! The propositions are flawed and will need to be corrected. Mayor Schwan is aware of AZ law! So why don't you misguided people wise up?
Editors note: True, however Jim Pierce’s initiative requires a super majority vote of council rather than a simple majority, thereby making approval of a property tax less likely.
Carefree water company bonds due in 2019 are still paying 7 percent interest when the typical rate for that maturity is about 2.75 percent. Thanks to former Mayor Huber Stevens and a unanimous town council vote, including that of former councilman Greg Gardner, the bonds cannot be called and replaced with low-interest bonds that would enable much lower water rates.
Hopefully Arizona Attorney General Terry "milquetoast" Goddard will disappear from public life. Maybe he'll find a cushy "rainmaker" PR job in some Democrat-oriented law firm.
