The Albuquerque Journal (10/23/19) endorses the passage of
APS’ mill levy and bond issue.
In their
endorsement the editors wrote; “The proposal will not increase taxes. … is a
reasonable package… improving needed infrastructure and putting local
contractors to work”.
Their position prompts one objection and one observation. The objection is; the phrase “The proposal
will not increase taxes” lacks candor, forthrightness and honesty. Voters will pay higher taxes if they vote FOR
a tax than if they vote AGAINST that tax.
The observation; this editorial is the first time that APS
and the Journal have admitted that school bond issues are about “putting local
contractors to work”.
What they mean by “local contractors” is a very small group
of APS favorites who (reportedly – but not in the Journal of course) benefit from
a bidding system rigged in their favor and, who share between them around two
hundred million dollars a year, in a district that is hemorrhaging students
because they’re not educating students any better in fancy new schools than in
aging, but well maintained, older schools.
Nobody has ever asked taxpayers before; are they are happy
with half of every dollar they spend on education going to enrich a handful of
local contractors and architects by keeping them busy?
More importantly, as far as the Journal is concerned, no one
has ever told them that that’s what’s going on in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment