C.R. leaders need more common sense

I'm not surprised that three quarters of the people in this town did not bother to vote on the local-option sales tax issue (May 3). Things are getting ramrodded through this city with no common sense or regard to cost. Why bother to vote?

I'm not going to vote for any tax that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be paying for long after I'm gone. Soon the money spenders will want another penny and another penny.

Why do we have the money to buy a hotel that has been a financial burden ever since it was built? I remember when it was built along with the U.S. Cellular Center with the promise that it would do great things for this city.

Could we spend the hotel money on flood control?

If Mayor Ron Corbett wants a big fancy convention center, maybe he should move to Des Moines where they have the money to build one.

All of a sudden, we don't have enough money to maintain our street system with all the gas and license taxes we pay, so let's add that to the sales tax along with everything else the politicians can dream up. And by all means, let's add our home property taxes to the sales tax as then it will not be so noticeable when the home taxes go up.

And last but not least, let's swap more of our property located in the flood zone for some other property located in a flood zone so we can spend a bunch more money converting it to a library.

Let's quit throwing money around and use some common sense.

David T. Suchomel

Cedar Rapids