TAXES: No more hypocrisy

Phil Hart’s flight is not about freedom. I feel it’s time to address a very important issue to set the record straight about Phil Hart.

In August 2010 I attended a fundraiser to benefit needy Idaho college students. In attendance was Gov. Otter and many local and state elected representatives. I approached a local senator and asked him a simple question: “Senator, if I did not pay my taxes what would you do to me?” He gave me a nice smile, put his hand on my shoulder looked me right in the eye and said, “Dean we would put you in jail.” How come Phil Hart is not in jail?

Last year Scott Grunsted, a friend of Phil Hart’s, wrote a My Turn column calling me a stooge and not doing my homework. I waited until now to respond. Scott, I’m no stooge and I pay my taxes. Phil Hart’s fight is not about freedom or liberty. It’s about Phil Hart, a whiny crybaby who doesn’t want to pay up. However Phil wants you and me to pay up.

I have news for Phil and Scott: Everybody needs to pay taxes. Everybody uses the roads the police the fire department and all the other services. Absolute hypocrisy that Phil Hart could sit on the taxation committee looking down on the honest hard-working citizens of Idaho and tell them that they must pay taxes but Phil doesn’t because he’s special. That’s rubbish. To set the record straight do I believe we pay too much in taxes? Yes. Do I believe some tax money is not always used as effectively as it could be? However, not paying your taxes and trying to buck the system the way Phil Hart has is 100 percent wrong. It’s time to send Phil Hart and his band of supporters a loud and clear message: You’re not wanted as our representatives. We want common sense honest people representing us not right wing nut cases. And Phil as far as the logs that you stole from the children why don’t you just do the right thing and give them back to the children? It’s one thing to steal from adults but stealing from children is really repugnant.

Please join me in voting out Phil Hart and his supporters Steve Vick and Vito Barbieri. District 2 now has much better choices to vote for on May 15.

DEAN OPSAL

Hayden