GOT AN EXTRA $930?MAPS 3 sales tax will cost about $930 for the average OKC resident. About $10 per month for this 93-month project. (Based on an economic analysis conducted by Dr. Mark Snead, OSU, for the Oklahoma City Finance Department).
Mayor Cornett asked OKC residents what they wanted: They said: Transit (light rail, streetcars, etc.) and Infrastructure, including streets. See results on website: www.maps3.org/factsheet.html
What we’re getting!
OKC’s 3rd convention center (in addition to Cox Convention Center and the Ford Center)
70-acre park downtown. Why? A request by Devon Energy.
Irresponsible destruction of the Union Station Rail Yard---After ignoring thousands of requests to save OKC’s Union Station rail yard from destruction, the OKC Council is asking for our MAPS 3 sales tax money for “a downtown transit hub which will link streetcar, commuter rail and bus systems” – exactly the reason Union Station’s invaluable, irreplaceable rail yard was built in the first place.
VOTE NO – MAPS 3, DECEMBER 8
Citizen Patriots, P.O. Box 19863, OKC 73144
______________________________
Notice any glaring misinformation?
4 comments:
PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT
Conservative Coalition Opposing Maps3 Has Formed
When: Tuesday, November 24.
Time: 11:30 am
Place: City Hall, East Steps
A new coalition, KillTheMapsTax.com, is comprised of taxpayers' groups will announce their
opposition to the Maps3 Tax increase.
This coalition has come together fresh on the heels of taxpayer demonstrations at the Oklahoma Capitol
and in Washington DC.
Porter Davis, the coalition's spokesman said “Citizens are rising up against higher taxes and
government spending. Many of these conservative groups have combined forces to oppose the MAPs 3
tax. Oklahoma City, its citizens and businesses need the economic stimulus that comes from the tax cut
resulting in letting the temporary Maps Tax expire.”
The reason for this new coalition is to try to engage a public debate and discussion of issues that could
extract almost $1,000 per resident in Oklahoma City. We believe it is time to cut taxes to help the
taxpayers rather than give more subsidies to downtown property developers.
The coalition is made up of various Tea Party groups, 912 groups, Constitutional groups, conservative
action groups, and other citizens grassroots groups.
Davis continued, “The mayor and proponents of MAPS 3 have tried to portray the opponents of the tax
as being only unions who want more money. Well that’s just not true. There are many citizens who
oppose the tax and who think the projects being proposed are extravagant, especially when so many of
our citizens are unemployed, yet will still have to pay this tax in order to eat. Opposing sales taxes for
private gain is as conservative an issue as there is.”
The spokesman is former Republican Oklahoma State Representative and small businessman, Porter
Davis.
COALITION MEMBERS INCLUDE:
OK SAFE
CAMPAIGN FOR LIBERTY OKLAHOMA
912 GROUPS
AND MORE
Call Porter Davis for more details at 405-286-0369.
That's all untrue. "Citizens are rising up against higher taxes."
MAPS 3 is not a tax increase. It's keeping the same penny alive that brought new companies, downtown revitalization, and the NBA to OKC.
And when you act like it's scandalous to keep extending a temporary tax, which you only acknowledge is a tax extension when you want to make it sound like it should have ended years ago, that's also stupid because the people are the ones who keep voting to extend it. The city council isn't just arbitrarily extending it.
They make a proposal, argue for how it will continue the drastic improvements in quality of life, and the people vote for it. That's how it goes.
In keeping with the trend over the last 20 years, you sir are the knucklehead right wing extremist that will lose this election because you're trying to turn a wildly successful quality of life initiative into a political initiative. This has nothing to do with federal big government or socialism or any of that crap you are trying to bring into this debate, this is about coming together as a community and doing something to improve OKC's quality of life. It's the MAPS projects that have kept OKC from dying in the first place. Just compare OKC in the early 90s to OKC today, and the effect is overwhelmingly positive. How could anyone oppose this?
"Right-wing extremist!" How gauche of you. Imposing a tax that is set to expire is a tax increase from what it would be. Simple math, not spin.
Confusing the apparent success of Maps1 with whatever outrageous proposal they put the "Maps" label on won't make it any better.
The country is sliding deeper into depression in 2009, unlike 1992 when Maps1 came into being. The taxpayers need a break and OKC businesses need the stimulus of $80-90 million freed up to be spent in the local economy for things the taxpayers need.
Maps3 (actually Maps4 since Maps3 was the "Maps for Millionaires" project to subsidize the Thunder ownership group for $121 million)is a bailout bill for downtown property developers. See the facts at www.KillTheMapsTax.com.
And download "The Top 10 Reasons to Kill the Map Tax" at http://killthemapstax.com/uploads/Top_10_Reasons_-_for_Pdf.pdf
You're right that the economic situation facing us is completely different than it was in 1993.
Then, we were at the bottom. We were arguable the worst city in the nation. Today, we're at the top. Forbes declared us the most recession-proof city, Money declared us the best city to start a business in, and more. Those are the facts, and that turnaround is all due to the idea of reinvesting in economic development.
By making quality of life improvements and making downtown a viable community, we've created a city where people want to live..the kind of place that will always outperform other cities.
The taxpayers need a break from what? Economic development? OKC's lot improving, and rising through the ranks of competition?
The simple fact of the matter is that we are at a point where we can build on our success and start to see some more impressive corporate relocations, or we can get complacent and slip back to where we were in the early 90s and then we won't even see any new businesses coming to OKC. That's what we can't afford.
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