ACCEPTING DEBT: ORF OP-ED

The current debate on the Nov. 4th vote on the tax obligating Otero County residents to pay an additional tax for the New Mexico Spaceport district lacks the phrasing many of us dread. That phrase is 'accepting debt'.

Are you, the home owner, parent, taxpayer and working citizen willing to accept more debt. Not debt owned by the county or the New Mexico Spaceport; but debt that grows when your individual dollar is diminished one more time. How many taxes are you willing to pay while gas prices remain high and unstable, federal bailouts contribute to a fiat economy, foreign entities hold our national debt and employment within Otero County can't meet the needs of many of our residents. While proponents of the Spaceport 'promise' a wonderful economic opportunity for SOME, the reality is this tax is one more obstacle to YOU paying your bills, feeding your family, keeping your mortgage current, saving for the future and getting out of debt. No one is concerned about you or your families ability to accept debt by taxing your dollar.

Now is the time to figure in to your family budget the cost of health care, the cost of food, the cost of gas, the dream of providing a college education for your children and how far will your retirement dollar stretch. Will the proponents of the Spaceport vote in a tax to bail you out when you have to decide priorities in what bills you pay and which bills go unpaid? If your mortgage goes into foreclosure; will Bill Richardson and Sir Richard Branson provide a safety net for you? Who will be sitting at your table when you agonize while balancing your checkbook? We are all responsible for our financial obligations. Regardless how the Spaceport rhetoric is portrayed in 'spin and shine', are you willing to accept more debt by shrinking your dollar one more time?