Today’s Grand Rapids Press reports that Grand Rapids Community College is backing down from its prior threats to raise tuition if the millage that failed on Tuesday didn’t pass. This is typical behavior of bureaucrats and those who love to spend other people’s money. How often do we hear from city government politicans that if they don’t raise taxes or get more revenue sharing that they will have to cut fire and police? It’s the same concept - what we call taxpayer extortion. Remember how the mafia used to require “protection” payments? The concept here isn’t too different. Bureaucrats threaten that crime will skyrocket, everyone’s tuition will go up, trash won’t get picked up, well, you pick your poison. It’s the usual argument that the sky will fall if a tax increase isn’t passed.
Well, GRCC did it and the taxpayers called the bluff. And guess what. They were bluffing. The frustrating part was the sheer amount of coverage this and related GRCC issues received in the GR Press in the run-up to the election. The bias was clear.
What do the bureaucrats have to say now? “Nevermind! Just kidding!”
It’s time to pass a state law to require that all tax issues be kept on only the November ballot.
