Dear Editor,
I read two articles in the July 17th edition of the Sedalia Democrat which were of great interest to me. One was by contributing columnist Deborah Mitchell, and the other was a letter to the editor by Kathy Nestor.
They were both about Amendment 5 in the upcoming election. I am so glad that these two people highlighted the problems of Amendment 5. Everyone has the right to vote the way they choose, but people need to study the issues and make an informed decision.
I think that it is just common sense that if they do away with State Income Tax, then our sales tax will have to take a big jump to make up for the loss of revenue. Also, if the amendment is passed, it gives legislators the power to aggressively increase the sales tax without voter approval. We know we can't always depend upon our legislature. Several times the voters have approved an initiative petition and then the legislature comes along and nullifies our efforts. I will be voting no.
Amendment 4 will also get a no vote from me. I think it is ridiculous that if passed, Amendment 4 would make it possible to defeat an initiative petition with just one no vote majority in just one congressional district out of eight. This is just another example of reducing the power of the majority votes in the overall state.
Sincerely,
Phillip Gerlt
