The Bonds on the Primary Ballot: When in Doubt, Vote No

I will not be launching into an extended discussion of each of the bonds on the primary ballot Tuesday.  I previously posted on the school bonds-- the behemoth proposal that should be rejected summarily.

With all the other bonds on the ballot, I think there should be a guiding principle.  When in doubt, vote no.  Remain mindful that in an area such as ours, a vote in favor of bonds is also likely a vote to raise taxes.  The elected officials that serve us, for the most part, are not of a disposition to hold the line on taxes.  Instead, they are continuously seeking ways to boost tax revenues.  The bonds would merely be another excuse for these elected officials to throw up their collective hands in despair, and pretend there is no option but to jack up taxes even further.

We also need to remain mindful of two factors the Rhino has pointed out.  First, when voters pass bonds, the county will be legally authorized to later borrow an additional 2/3 of the face value of the bonds without voter approval.  In addition, the new infrastructure the bonds furnish will inevitably increase operational expenses.  Both of these dynamics will tend to feed further tax increases well into the future. 

I am considering a vote in favor of one or two of the individual bond proposals.   But again, the guiding principle should be-- when in doubt, vote no.