Please check back for more accurate news on the Project Destiny proposal.
I am in the middle of figuring out exactly how much the big players will save on their taxes, how much the upper, middle and lower income groups will save and exactly why you should vote no. Let me know if you have "hard" dollars and cents figures along with quoteable public figure sources.
Additional talking points are being developed for the media. Suggestions are welcome.
I am still gathering names of people who want to work against the Destiny Proposal and who would like to help bring it down. A ballot issue committtee will hopefully be formed.
E-mail me if you are interested in participating.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Monday, March 05, 2007
Don't Sign It - I'm not kidding
The following is the text of the petition being circulated in favor of the New Sales Tax. This is the petition for Polk County, the other petitions are identical except for county name. Emphasis is mine.
"We the undersigned eligible electors of Polk County, Iowa hereby request the imposition of a one-cent local option sales and services tax authorized under Chapter 423B of the Iowa Code. We further express our support for the election to be held on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, that a ten-year sunset be imposed on the local option sales and services tax, and for the tax to be used primarily for property tax relief and regional quality of life amenities."
In a little piece of mis-information the Yes to Destiny FAQ sheet says the following:
"What if I haven’t made up my mind yet?"
"Signing the petition DOES NOT indicate your support for Yes to Destiny. Submitting petition signatures is required by Iowa law in order to place the question on the ballot. "
I guess that there is something that I don't understand about the English language here.
NOTICE: The FAQ's have changed - The above item has be removed from the "Destiny" web site (3/25/07).
For those who wish to support the petition drive please contact the folks at the Des Moines Partnership and Yes to Destiny their contact information is here:
"Download and print your petitions and get started gathering your signatures today! Please be sure that people are signing the petition for the county their home address is in.
Dallas County: <http://yestodestiny.org/support/pdf/Yes_to_Destiny_Petition_Dallas_County.pdf>
Polk County: <http://yestodestiny.org/support/pdf/Yes_to_Destiny_Petition_Polk_County.pdf>
Warren County: <http://yestodestiny.org/support/pdf/Yes_to_Destiny_Petition_Warren_County.pdf>
There is also a Fact sheet in order for you to brush up on your "Yes to Destiny" lingo!
http://www.peopleforprojectdestiny.org/support/pdf/Fact_Sheet.pdf
Thank you for your time! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, or one of the following people:
Nader Halawa: 515-451-0420, nhalawa@yestodestiny.org
Nathan Treloar: 515-418-0994, ntreloar@yestodestiny.org
Jessica Walter: 515-286-4924, jwalter@desmoinesmetro.com
Jay Byers: 515-286-4963, jbyers@desmoinesmetro.com
Rebecca Batcheller: 515-286-4980, rbatcheller@desmoinesmetro..com"
If you think that you might not support this petition do not sign it or you may be spending a nice Tuesday in July at the polls instead of the pool.
As always, your comments to this post are invited.
"We the undersigned eligible electors of Polk County, Iowa hereby request the imposition of a one-cent local option sales and services tax authorized under Chapter 423B of the Iowa Code. We further express our support for the election to be held on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, that a ten-year sunset be imposed on the local option sales and services tax, and for the tax to be used primarily for property tax relief and regional quality of life amenities."
In a little piece of mis-information the Yes to Destiny FAQ sheet says the following:
"What if I haven’t made up my mind yet?"
"Signing the petition DOES NOT indicate your support for Yes to Destiny. Submitting petition signatures is required by Iowa law in order to place the question on the ballot. "
I guess that there is something that I don't understand about the English language here.
NOTICE: The FAQ's have changed - The above item has be removed from the "Destiny" web site (3/25/07).
For those who wish to support the petition drive please contact the folks at the Des Moines Partnership and Yes to Destiny their contact information is here:
"Download and print your petitions and get started gathering your signatures today! Please be sure that people are signing the petition for the county their home address is in.
Dallas County: <http://yestodestiny.org/support/pdf/Yes_to_Destiny_Petition_Dallas_County.pdf>
Polk County: <http://yestodestiny.org/support/pdf/Yes_to_Destiny_Petition_Polk_County.pdf>
Warren County: <http://yestodestiny.org/support/pdf/Yes_to_Destiny_Petition_Warren_County.pdf>
There is also a Fact sheet in order for you to brush up on your "Yes to Destiny" lingo!
http://www.peopleforprojectdestiny.org/support/pdf/Fact_Sheet.pdf
Thank you for your time! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, or one of the following people:
Nader Halawa: 515-451-0420, nhalawa@yestodestiny.org
Nathan Treloar: 515-418-0994, ntreloar@yestodestiny.org
Jessica Walter: 515-286-4924, jwalter@desmoinesmetro.com
Jay Byers: 515-286-4963, jbyers@desmoinesmetro.com
Rebecca Batcheller: 515-286-4980, rbatcheller@desmoinesmetro..com"
If you think that you might not support this petition do not sign it or you may be spending a nice Tuesday in July at the polls instead of the pool.
As always, your comments to this post are invited.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Don't sign the petition
Petitions are being circulated by the Yes to Destiny committee formerly known as People for Project Destiny to place a new one-cent sales tax measure on the July ballot.
Please don’t sign the sales tax petition.
The reason is simple – there has not been enough concrete information regarding this issue. Yes, there has been news, projections and opinions voiced but not one legally durable and binding word about how it will affect voters – people like you.
Before I sign my name to something to be placed on the ballot, I want to know specifically how an issue will affect me in real dollars not cents.
As a homeowner, I would want to know for sure that there is a legal commitment to reduce my property taxes by more than the cost of the sales tax.
As a renter, I would want to know how much my landlord would have to rebate to me on an annual basis from his property tax savings.
As a business owner, I would want to know how this would affect my future sales and profits. How much more business could I afford to loose to the Internet if the sales tax rate is increased. If I sold clothing, I would want to know how many thousands of my sales dollars would travel north to Minnesota where clothing is exempt from sales tax.
As a consumer, I would want to know how much I would be paying on this new sales tax. I would question my confidence in our elected official’s ability to properly administer the plan. I would want to know that the DM Partnership polled its’ retail members on this plan before endorsing it.
As a senior citizen, I would want to know how much I would receive in the “special” property tax reductions.
Finally, as a citizen, I would want to question my own values about the rightness and fairness of the proposal from an ethical standpoint, not just the effect on my personal finances.
The time to sign a petition is only after you have those answers, and have had time to consider them as positive for your situation, not a minute before.
From the Yes to Destiny committee report I see that there is not the broad base of support, at least financially, only 15 businesses. This does not sould like the meaning of grass-roots to me. I think that there are many hundreds of businesses who are not in favor of this plan but who fear the negative publicity of being against what the "leadership" wants.
Nip this bad idea in the bud - don't sign the petition.
Please don’t sign the sales tax petition.
The reason is simple – there has not been enough concrete information regarding this issue. Yes, there has been news, projections and opinions voiced but not one legally durable and binding word about how it will affect voters – people like you.
Before I sign my name to something to be placed on the ballot, I want to know specifically how an issue will affect me in real dollars not cents.
As a homeowner, I would want to know for sure that there is a legal commitment to reduce my property taxes by more than the cost of the sales tax.
As a renter, I would want to know how much my landlord would have to rebate to me on an annual basis from his property tax savings.
As a business owner, I would want to know how this would affect my future sales and profits. How much more business could I afford to loose to the Internet if the sales tax rate is increased. If I sold clothing, I would want to know how many thousands of my sales dollars would travel north to Minnesota where clothing is exempt from sales tax.
As a consumer, I would want to know how much I would be paying on this new sales tax. I would question my confidence in our elected official’s ability to properly administer the plan. I would want to know that the DM Partnership polled its’ retail members on this plan before endorsing it.
As a senior citizen, I would want to know how much I would receive in the “special” property tax reductions.
Finally, as a citizen, I would want to question my own values about the rightness and fairness of the proposal from an ethical standpoint, not just the effect on my personal finances.
The time to sign a petition is only after you have those answers, and have had time to consider them as positive for your situation, not a minute before.
From the Yes to Destiny committee report I see that there is not the broad base of support, at least financially, only 15 businesses. This does not sould like the meaning of grass-roots to me. I think that there are many hundreds of businesses who are not in favor of this plan but who fear the negative publicity of being against what the "leadership" wants.
Nip this bad idea in the bud - don't sign the petition.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Who Supports the New Sales Tax - Interesting Read
Learn about who has financially supported the new sales tax plan from the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board. Also follow how dollars were spent on preparation to convince voters to support the Project Destiny sales tax. Note that the group name has been changed to "Yes for Destiny".
The following is the link to the campaign contribution report. It is a .pdf file so it will take a little time to load but it will show you the businesses and individuals who have been supporting this new tax. Enjoy and let me have your comments if you wish.
Click here to load full report.
The following is the link to the campaign contribution report. It is a .pdf file so it will take a little time to load but it will show you the businesses and individuals who have been supporting this new tax. Enjoy and let me have your comments if you wish.
Click here to load full report.
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