What would you do with $60?

If you give $60 to a person in Jacksonville who has more money than he or she needs, that money might go into the bank for a rainy day. It might be spent on an expensive gift for a loved one, ordered from one of those stores that we don't have in Jacksonville. It might be spent in a local restaurant.

If you give the same $60 to someone in Jacksonville who is just scraping by, that person is going to spend it. It will probably be spent in Jacksonville, at the grocery store or hardware store or department store.

Which person is more likely to help our local economy?

It just so happens our local city government has $60 for every family living in their own single-family home in Jacksonville. All the City Council has to do is to repeal the garbage fee that was implemented last year, before collecting the fees for this year.

Before the garbage fee was approved by the City Council, representatives from the Mayor's Office admitted that the average homeowner would pay more in garbage and stormwater fees than they would save in property taxes after the Legislature reduced property taxes. Meanwhile, those who live in very expensive homes would save money. In other words, the tax burden was shifted from those who can probably afford to pay a few more dollars a month to those who are struggling to keep the lights on and food on the table.

Repealing the garbage fee would help our economy, and it would be the right thing to do.

Yes, we did! Now what?

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead

No doubt we will see many changes over the coming months and years. As we have seen recently, there are forces at work which even the world's governments can't control. It's tempting to leave the solutions to the world's problems up to "them" - government officials, politicians, the people who supposedly wield "real power." However, it sure is satisfying to watch the news and think "I helped make that happen!"

There are many challenges ahead, both here in Jacksonville and elsewhere. As I come across ideas that might be useful in meeting those challenges, I'll post them here. I might even add something original once in a while. Feel free to give me your two cents' worth.

Dave Baldwin