Letter: gas tax article read between the lines

Man! These guys are at it again. They're absolutely relentless. I get to the second page of Monday's paper, there in bold print at the top of the page "Committee may be formed for gas tax."

After carefully perusing the article, I decided that there was more to this than meets the eye. So I thought that I would take the liberty to read between the lines for you.

The article starts out, "Douglas County will form a committee to check the feasibility of imposing a nickel per gallon gas tax." I think we can translate this to say, we are going to do everything in our power to raise our taxes. "County leaders will soon be looking for a handful of residents to gauge public opinion," can easily be interpreted to mean we are looking for a few good shills.

It went on to say that county commissioners had not taken a stance on the issue and wouldn't be forcing a ballot question. This is just a bald- faced lie since we don't have a mayor or boss or any other governing board other than these same commissioners. It would seem to me that they already have made a stance. They want to raise your tax.

They say a five cent tax would generate an estimated $1 million a year that could be used for road projects, having more projects than money to fund them. I don't know what you think about it, but from what I can see, the roads here seem to be in pretty good condition outside of those dirt roads maintained by BLM, but that's another story. What I believe they mean by "projects" is the building of new roads and infrastructure that is crucial for their "master rape" of the valley and to put traffic controls at Ironwood Road, Genoa Lane, Airport Road and Stephanie Way. Most likely, forcing the need of a new highway in the future, which will probably go through the east valley between the old highway and Foothill or they may use part of Foothill.

"Holler says an advisory gas tax committee would be comparable to the committee that was used to promote a quarter-cent sales tax hike approved in 1998 to pay for several services." Notice that I underlined the word promote. Now Webster's Dictionary defines for our purposes the word "promote" as meaning to attempt to increase the sale of by advertising or to wrangle. Whereas the word "feasibility" which was applied to the committee earlier is defined in Webster's Dictionary to mean capable of being accomplished, practicable, or likely. I believe this little slip of them using the word promote in association with this committee should leave little doubt of where their minds are really concerning this issue.

I am also wondering who is on this little committee. Could there be any members of our county commission participating in this little ruse they call a committee?

The article goes on to mention that a "nickel gas tax was repealed on a 1994 ballot." Often voters found that they had been hoodwinked into it previously. I wonder what would make them think that voters would vote to reinstate the same tax. Well personally, I believe that because the PALS issue was so readily accepted to pay for parks and senior services shortfalls after they gave a 65 percent reduction in room tax to Tahoe hotels and motels to appease Tahoe, when they got their panties into a bunch because we didn't build any new schools for them after building two schools here in the valley, making noise like they were going to start their own county.

It should be easy to deduce that they believe that there are a lot more sheep living here now than there were then, and I'm not talking about livestock.

The article goes on with Bernie Curtis and Don Minor threatening that county roads are going to go to hell if the tax isn't passed. This is a loose paraphrase of an entire paragraph for brevity's sake.

I would like to point out that this is not a poor county, and we do get federal highway funds. So I would like to know who they think they're fooling, not me.

The article concludes that our committee (I mean commissioners) say they are expecting resistance from residents of towns and improvement districts because those entities already tax their residents for road upkeep, which would explain why the roads here are generally in good condition. The fact that they mention that they are expecting a fight, means they are prepared to do whatever it takes to push this through and if a vote fails to pass, they may just go over our heads. It's happened before. Don't doubt it.

Personally, I won't be happy until the whole bunch of these yahoos are thrown out on their ear, and as far as anybody who would stand in support of these chuckleheads, you're either profiting from the rape of this once beautiful valley or you are just a bunch of brainwashed sheep, and in either case, you make me sick to my stomach.

WILLIAM KELLY JONES

Gardnerville