Funding Isn’t the Point…

As a member of Citizens for a Sound Economy, I resent Paula Wolf’s quoted comment in your July 31 article “Tax-increase foes plan a ‘Tar Heel Tea Party’.” Wolf downplayed the rally on Tuesday by claiming that CSE is a “national organization funded by big business around the country.”

As a lobbyist for the Covenant with North Carolina’s Children, Wolf is probably paid for her services. If she is not, and her lobbying is voluntary, then she is on equal footing with each of us attending the Tar Heel Tea Party. When it comes to the ideology of its members, it is not relevant how Citizens for a Sound Economy is funded nationally, just as it is not relevant how Covenant with North Carolina’s Children is funded. Part of our tax dollars go to pay state government employees whose jobs are to lobby the legislature for higher government spending; certainly private citizens groups such as CSE are needed to balance such an abuse of tax money.

We are taking our valuable time to go to the legislature to make a point: North Carolina does not have a revenue problem. Instead, the majority of our lawmakers have a spending problem. Legislators have not taken a hard look at all programs and departments to find waste, misuse of funds, or even effectiveness. By advocating higher taxes, lawmakers are passing off the consequences of their spending addictions to hard-working North Carolina citizens.

Hopefully, lawmakers will understand that citizens do not believe that higher taxes are the answer. If they do not, I call upon all taxpayers to remember what happens when it comes time to vote in 2002.

Martha Jenkins

Chapel Hill