The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-10-27
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TOO LATE TO CLASSIFY

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/ Out in Nebraska a few years
ago small group of taxpayers
! got to worryin' about mountin'
taxes and the waste of public
funds. Of course it was none
of their business from the
viewpoint of the politicians who
seemed to hold the impression
that it was their God-given priv
ilege to get all the money they
could and spend it where and
when they pleased.
! These inquisitive taxpayers
were hard working, sound think
] ing farmers and small town bust
ness men. Through the years
they had learned that success
! came from hard work and care
full management. They had little
sympathy with waste and ex-
travagance. They paid their OBJ
/ legations and were careful not to
incur any they couldn't pay.
Starting in small way in one
county, these taxpayers began to
poke their noses into local gov
ornamental operations. Some start
ling things were revealed. 1t was
found that the county was pay
ing $12.50 each for creosoted posts
that another county was buying
! for SIPS each. There were many
other similar instances where
city and county officials were
purchasing supplies and equip
ment and paying many times the
price quoted on the open market.
Instead of going to the county
commissioners or city officials
and bowling about it these wise
taxpayers went to their local
newspaper man. They laid the
facts before him, gave him the
comparative figures, easily veri-
fled, and urged his help in pre-
senting this information to the
people.
The newspaper man, like most
of his clan, was glad to play
ball". Without bringing in any
personalities or starting a quar-
rel with any politician, he simply
told the facts. He asked if this
was good business and wanted to
know if taxpayers were content
to have their money squandered
in this manner.
Most of them weren't. So they
got together, hired an Independent
auditor, and kept track of all
county expenditures. They com.
pared prices paid in their county
with those paid in other counties
and against the open market.
Whenever they found expendi-
lures were out of line they pub.
licized it through the press, over
the radio and talked about it at
open meetings. People who nev.
err before had paid any attention
to the government began to get
interested. Extravagant minded
office holders began to get wor-
ried and with good reason for
when election rolled around they
lost their jobs.
The taxpayers group kept
strictly out of politics. They en-
dorsed no candidates, told no one
who to vote for. They simply
gave people the facts and then
let them use their own judgment,
So successfully did the plan
work that county after county
fell in line. Folks who had al
ways felt that nothing could be
done about it sawVotfaer taxpay-
erS actually putting a stop to
waste and bringing about lower
taxes and, sound business in gov
ernmeRtt1doc iasa ~ s'fs}tg
Groups began to think as in
dividuals. If Clay county found
that Polk county was buying
tractors for less money they be-
came indignant and found out
why, just as Bill Jones would do
if he paid his hardware merchant
SIS for an axe and then learned
that John Smith got the same
kind of axe the same day at the
same store for $I25.
Local taxpayers groups got to-
gether to form a state organiza.
ton. They hired auditors TO
check governmental operations.
They published the facts. Every
public seTy ant from office boy to
governor came under the watch
full eyesof his boss. the taxpay.
er. II money was wasted. the EN-.
ploye was fired, with no Ifs
ands. or butts.
Today there is an unwritten
law in Nebraska that every pub
lie official knows by heart, and
that all observe with diligence
you shall not put your people
IN debt: you shall not waste your
peoples money
As result. Nebraska's budget
is always in balance. The state
pays cash and demands value n.
ceived for every penny There
is no bonded Indebtedness: nc
sales tax no service tax: no uss
tax, no luxury tax; no cigarette
tax: noa3nconae tax. Taxes, state
cOanty ard city. have been re
duces5 oyer s. percent in 10 years