Where Tax Dollars are Going

In this article by Mark Lisheron, "El Paso considers making hotel tax highest in state to pay for new baseball stadium" posted on July 16, 2012, Lisheron discusses the proposal by politicians in the El Paso area to increase the tax rate on the local hotels to pay for a new baseball stadium. The increase they are suggesting would make this the highest hotel tax rate in the state of Texas. Judging by the attitude conveyed in the article, I would say that Lisheron seems to be against this. He brings up the fact that there are better ways to put money into the economy and how sports do not usually end up being an economic benefit to local economy.

I, for one, think this is a good example of why people need to get more involved in government affairs. We need to know where our tax dollars are going and we need to have representatives who are going to make sure our money is going to the right places. There have been so many cuts being made to important programs like the public education system, for example. Schools have been closed and teachers have been laid off. This has caused its own problems also, like an increase in the unemployment rate. If they even consider increasing a tax rate so drastically it should be for something important like those I just listed, not a recreational activity. The fact that there is even a proposal being made by politicians in the El Paso politicians to put tax dollars toward something like this is just ridiculous.