Trustee: Townships are unnecessary

Port Byron Township Trustee Craig Hollister had this in the April 23 Quad-City Times. It also appeared in the April 28 Dispatch/Rock Island Argus. ..... marks paragraph breaks. "On April 7, Rock Island County voters, for the third time, said they don't want their sales tax increased. ..... Last November, they rejected higher property taxes for Hope Creek. Earlier, voters said they want the county board reduced in size, and not to give the county a blank check on building projects. Maybe there is a pattern here? Are voters trying to say that taxes are too high already? ..... Rock Island and Illinois taxes are near the top nationwide in so many categories. Yet there is a constant call to raise taxes higher. It's time to demand a cut in spending. Where can we cut spending? We should look to Iowa. ..... Iowa does not have as many layers of bureaucracy in its school system. Scott County schools receive less money per student than Rock Island schools, but achieve higher test scores. ..... Iowa does not have township government. Iowa achieves greater efficiency by maintaining rural roads and assessing property on a county level. As a Port Byron Township Trustee, I can tell you that township government is a waste of the taxpayer dollar. We perform no necessary function. ..... Illinois cannot continue to raise taxes. Already, savvy motorists buy their fuel in Iowa. Keep raising taxes and we may go across the bridge and not return. Demand that your government be more responsible with our money. ..... Government was set up by the people, for the people. So speak out. Shake your fist. Enough is enough!"