We are beginning to see Covid-19 cases drop way down in both numbers
and severity as municipalities open back up following government enforced
shutdowns. So, where should we go from here?
1) Property taxes should be
pro-rated for 2020- All
property taxes should be pro-rated based on Covid-19 shutdowns.
Residential property taxes should be pro-rated and business/commercial property
taxes should be pro-rated based on the length of time they were under a
mandatory shut down notice. If they were under a mandatory shut-down, then
they should not have to pay property taxes or rent during that time period.
Period. They were denied access to the business/property for the purpose
for which it was designed and taxed. This is a not open to debate and
there should be massive lawsuits if counties do not automatically implement
this procedure.
2) Mandatory year-round
school should be taken off the table- For years we have seen the school system inch closer and closer
to a year-round calendar. Governor Bill Lee mandated that all public primary
and intermediate schools be closed by March 20th and they did not re-open for
the school season. This means that children missed 9 or 10 weeks of their
regular school session and then started summer break not to resume until the
start of the new calendar year in August. However, all students will
advance to the next grade level and all seniors graduated in the Spring of
2020. This should forever put to rest the idea that students cannot
retain what they have learned in the previous year, without going to a year-round
school calendar. This was always a policy not supported by the data, but
rather to solve some other problem, most likely the need for year-round meals
for at risk children. I do not suggest that we suspend meals for at risk
kids, but to say that all kids need year-round school is hijacking the system
for other purposes. Kids benefit in learning through other means than
school. Summer jobs, internships, work study programs, and
apprenticeships are all ways that our youth can learn from environments other
than a classroom. What could be beneficial is to bring back summer school
alternatives for at risk children so that they may not only receive meals
throughout the year but continue to receive additional classroom training that
will help them not only move into the next grade but do so while excelling at
their schoolwork.
3) No government employee
should receive pay without producing equal work- Schools were closed, government offices
were on reduced schedules, state parks were closed, and many other government
workers were not doing the work for which they were hired during the
pandemic. If the Governor of the State of Tennessee implements any type
of work restrictions on the public, then all government personnel (other than
law enforcement) should receive and be burdened with the same economic impact
that applies to residents of the state. Imagine if DMV personnel had to
rely on tips like waiters and waitresses in a restaurant or bar. Just
think about that sentence one more time, "What if DMV personnel where paid
$2.12 an hour and benefits, but the rest of their income came from tips from
customers?" So immediately any government employee is going to cry
foul and say, "You don't understand what we have to deal with?"
You tell that to servers who see every kind of abuse and obnoxious customer
that exists. If state employees had to lose some of their pay during the
shutdown, then the governor would think twice before pulling that option out of
the hat.
I don't deny that Covid-19 was
an unknown in late January and February, but the numbers were not bearing out
the continued shut-down into March and beyond. Yet the government
continued to restrict people's opportunity to make a living; at the same time
paying full benefits and pay to most government workers. FIGHT
BACK. Do not put anybody back into state elected office that was
there this year.
