Future Tax Revolt leaders of America

Arizona Tax Revolt commentary:

If the kids can let government (their school) know how dissatisfied they are, surely we property taxpayers have good reason to do the same.

Imagine paying your property taxes entirely with coins. If this puts a smile on your face, then go give it a try and be sure to call your local TV or newspaper reporter ahead of time to cover the event.

Be sure to mention that all taxpayers who are Mad As Hell about unreasonable and excessive property taxes must take action by volunteering to gather signatures for the Arizona Tax Revolt Property Tax Rollback petitions. Ask them to “volunteer” online at www.ArizonaTaxRevolt.org and make a generous contribution… think of it as an investment in lower property taxes.

Marc Goldstone, Chair.
Arizona Tax Revolt

Published: March 5, 2008
Posted on Knoxvilletalks.com

By Katie Granju

Rich Hailey has some words of support for the school kids who recently tried to pay for their cafeteria lunches all in pennies (reminiscent of this recent tax protest in Knox County), information follows…

Yes, it inconvenienced the cafeteria workers, and the other students who didn’t have time to eat, but then again, wasn’t the point of the protest to point out how short the lunch periods were? Just how effective is a protest that doesn’t inconvenience anyone? If you create a protest that can be ignored, it will be ignored. The whole point of a protest is to draw attention to a problem and the kids certainly did that.

And had they broken school rules during that protest, then they should be punished. But they broke no rules.

This is a pretty clear case of a school administration getting caught by surprise and lashing out at the kids responsible for embarrassing him.

Had it been my child, and the school had tried to discipline them for paying in pennies, I’d have been in the office the next morning, paying every one of the school fees in pennies and demanding a receipt.

Rich Haley’s comments:

We Want to Encourage Protest, as Long as It Causes No Inconvenience.

Kids paid for lunch with pennies to protest the short lunch period. In return, the school administrators gave the students 2 days detention for causing a disturbance and disrespecting the cafeteria staff.

Apparently, the cafeteria workers felt disrespected by having to count pennies.

Allow me to show them true disrespect, so in the future, they may know the difference.

"Ladies, had you stayed in school and gotten an education, your self respect might not be so fragile."

Ok, that is disrespect.

As I see it, the kids conducted a legal transaction using legal currency, and for that, they are getting punished.

Yes, it inconvenienced the cafeteria workers, and the other students who didn't have time to eat, but then again, wasn't the point of the protest to point out how short the lunch periods were? Just how effective is a protest that doesn't inconvenience anyone? If you create a protest that can be ignored, it will be ignored. The whole point of a protest is to draw attention to a problem and the kids certainly did that. And had they broken school rules during that protest, then they should be punished. But they broke no rules.

This is a pretty clear case of a school administration getting caught by surprise and lashing out at the kids responsible for embarrassing him.

Had it been my child, and the school had tried to discipline them for paying in pennies, I'd have been in the office the next morning, paying every one of the school fees in pennies and demanding a receipt.

Incidentally, here's the funniest line in the whole story:

Each student brought in 200 pennies. Multiply that by 29 you get close to 5,800 pennies.

Only close?

Knox County couple sends message with a jingle

By: Brittany Bailey, Reporter
Date created: 2/19/2008

The Knox County Trustee's Office has some extra spare change on hand, after one Knox County couple paid a property tax bill almost entirely in coins.

"I went, 'Oh please, no,'" Angie Fields said of the idea from her husband, Brian.

Brian came up with the idea last year and followed through this year.

"All of our elected officials pretty much act childish," he said. "I figured I would do a little bit, too."

His childish act: sending his wife to pay their property tax bill with $1,700 in golden Sacagawea Dollars.

"(The clerk) grabbed ahold of it, and she was like (wide-eyed), and she looked down and went, 'You're kidding,' and I went, 'No, I'm not,'"

Angie said.

But the prank didn't stop there. On several of the $25 coin rolls, the Fields wrote a message aimed directly at the county mayor, saying "For Ragsdale Tip Money."

"I don't get to eat out and live like that, especially when someone else is paying for it," Brian said, referring to some of the mayor's expensive business dinners. "I mean, I just don't think that's (fair), and Ragsdale with his car allowance and $20,000 car allowances, you know, I don't get a car allowance on my little white van out there."

The Fields say they don't believe their golden gag will get far, but perhaps next year.

"They may get pennies next year," she joked.

The clerks at the trustee's office say sometimes people pay their bills in cash, but they almost never get coins.