Affordable spending | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Some Salt Lake County leaders want to impose a 17.5 percent property tax hike on the citizens they are supposedly serving. They say there is no more fat to be trimmed, that cutting programs or laying off employees is unacceptable.

First, taxes are high enough. If you need more revenue, find ways to help your citizens become more prosperous and their tax payments will increase.

Second, balance your budget. If you can't afford it, don't spend it.

Third, if you need something new, cut something old. Otherwise, government will just grow until it crushes its citizens.

Fourth, don't expand government programs in good years to levels that are unsustainable in lean ones.

I'm sorry for the personal difficulties some will experience, but I am not sympathetic to the reckless and shortsighted government that put them in that position and that now requests its already-struggling citizens to bail it out.

Dave Argyle

Riverton