Taxpayers association represents all taxpayers

[John R]

my take. owning property somewhere you don't live is a luxury, and luxury comes with expense. people only vote where they live. if what happens where you don't, you don't like, so sad. come on down and be as vocal as you want, but don't expect to ever vote here unless you live here.

not an attack within this thread, just my belief and a blanket statement towards this silly movement about to happen(ing). seen it before and will see it again, and it will get stopped again. the beach seems to be 5 years behind the mountains.

 

[mf]

my take. owning property somewhere you don't live is a luxury, and luxury comes with expense. people only vote where they live. if what happens where you don't, you don't like, so sad. come on down and be as vocal as you want, but don't expect to ever vote here unless you live here.

not an attack within this thread, just my belief and a blanket statement towards this silly movement about to happen(ing). seen it before and will see it again, and it will get stopped again. the beach seems to be 5 years behind the mountains.

i realize this is not an attack, but because i am a full-time resident here, i i find this opinion very dangerous for the county. i believe this opinion that people are "lucky" to be spending their money here and investing in this area reflects a "sense of entitlement" that will hurt this area.

any economic development expert will tell you that appreciating the industries and entities that bring money and growth to a community makes good sense. suggesting they don't deserve a say is dismissive and not very community-oriented. after all, they can always take their "luxury" income and spend it somehwere else. after watching what happens to poorly managed regions, i can assure you, they will do that.

 

[Smiling JOe]

i realize this is not an attack, but because i am a full-time resident here, i i find this opinion very dangerous for the county. i believe this opinion that people are "lucky" to be spending their money here and investing in this area reflects a "sense of entitlement" that will hurt this area.

any economic development expert will tell you that appreciating the industries and entities that bring money and growth to a community makes good sense. suggesting they don't deserve a say is dismissive and not very community-oriented. after all, they can always take their "luxury" income and spend it somehwere else. after watching what happens to poorly managed regions, i can assure you, they will do that.

So are you saying that all of the "communities," and I use that term extremely loosely, which are empty most of the year, are "community oriented?" At best, the visitors to the communities stay for one week at a time. There is no real sense of community, unless you consider the architectural styles and empty homes a "community." Communities are made up of people who reside in a place, establishing long-lasting relationships with others in an area of close proximity.

How much say should someone who spends zero amount of time in SoWal, have in our community? What about someone who spends less than two weeks a year? Do you think they know what is best for our area, or does that matter? Should their financial interests be the only thing that matters? Just curious to know your thoughts on that.

 

[Mango]

What about sales taxes one might pay when buying in another state, or gas taxes in other states, when you fill up as you are driving through?

my take. owning property somewhere you don't live is a luxury, and luxury comes with expense. people only vote where they live. if what happens where you don't, you don't like, so sad. come on down and be as vocal as you want, but don't expect to ever vote here unless you live here.

not an attack within this thread, just my belief and a blanket statement towards this silly movement about to happen(ing). seen it before and will see it again, and it will get stopped again. the beach seems to be 5 years behind the mountains.

People have the ability to buy numerous "luxury" items ie; cell phones, airline tickets etc. and they are all represented by some consumer group or lobbyists. When you buy stock, you have voting rights.

IMO it is just plain ole un-American for anyone paying any taxes anywhere to not have a vote (Taxation without Representation)

As far as sense of community, this site is an excellent example of that.
SJ, would you argue that just because I am not there on a daily basis, that I do not feel in tune with the community and also the needs of the full time residents?

 

[Bob]

John R , many of the the folks in the "silly movement" are your part time neighbors and have been paying your way for years now. Is that the kind of neighbor you want to be?

 

[mf]

So are you saying that all of the "communities," and I use that term extremely loosely, which are empty most of the year, are "community oriented?" At best, the visitors to the communities stay for one week at a time. There is no real sense of community, unless you consider the architectural styles and empty homes a "community." Communities are made up of people who reside in a place, establishing long-lasting relationships with others in an area of close proximity.

How much say should someone who spends zero amount of time in SoWal, have in our community? What about someone who spends less than two weeks a year? Do you think they know what is best for our area, or does that matter? Should their financial interests be the only thing that matters? Just curious to know your thoughts on that.

not by a long shot joe! i agree there are a string of mini-fifedoms now.

my point is that we will not get any closer toward developing a sense of responsiblity toward one another and proper community without being respectful encouraging and honoring everyone's contributions resident or non-resident.

 

[mf]

i think people want to be involved in a more positive way and we need to provide the opportunity for that especially given the contributions that people could be making. we need to give options for beneficial community-oriented contributions instead of just investment in local developer's projects via real estate, etc.

i just think that unilateral dismissing or ignoring all these part-time residents and visitors does not benefit us. in fact, what many of them would prefer to see would benefit us greatly! more cultural venues, better transportation and protection of the environment.

 

[mf]

People have the ability to buy numerous "luxury" items ie; cell phones, airline tickets etc. and they are all represented by some consumer group or lobbyists. When you buy stock, you have voting rights.

IMO it is just plain ole un-American for anyone paying any taxes anywhere to not have a vote (Taxation without Representation)

As far as sense of community, this site is an excellent example of that.
SJ, would you argue that just because I am not there on a daily basis, that I do not feel in tune with the community and also the needs of the full time residents?

very salient points!

this idea of "give us your money and shut up" is not only disrespectful and rude, it will not longer serve the community. the real estate boom is over folks.

 

[chrisv]

IMO it is just plain ole un-American for anyone paying any taxes anywhere to not have a vote (Taxation without Representation)

Are you really suggesting that one should be able to vote in any locale in which one has a tax liability?

We can cast a ballot in our county of residence, and that is the way it should be. To suggest that because one pays taxes in multiple locales they should have more say in our government than those who just pay in one is to me "un-American." Seems we fought a war and passed two amendments to guarantee 'One (wo)Man One Vote.'

That does not, however, mean that we have no say in another community's government. Just look at the financial disclosures of any candidate for office. You'll see plenty of folks from around the country being well represented right here in Walton County.

 

[mf]

Are you really suggesting that one should be able to vote in any locale in which one has a tax liability?

We can cast a ballot in our county of residence, and that is the way it should be. To suggest that because one pays taxes in multiple locales they should have more say in our government than those who just pay in one is to me "un-American." Seems we fought a war and passed two amendments to guarantee 'One (wo)Man One Vote.'

That does not, however, mean that we have no say in another community's government. Just look at the financial disclosures of any candidate for office. You'll see plenty of folks from around the country being well represented right here in Walton County.

by this logic we should not be giving outside developers or businesses a voice with local government or special consideration or dispensation. that is most definitely happening. so either that should change or why not give individuals the same rights?