"Timing of gift questioned" was the headline of Tom Kertscher's column in the morning Journal Sentinel. That may well be a classic understatement, although I'm sure Mr. Kertscher needs to remain less 'curmudgeonly' than do I.
This is a blatant attempt to grease the skids for the denial of Germantown's soon-to-be-presented petition to the state technical college board. MATC has not presented "free" computers to any other community and yet it has done so twice now for Germantown. This coupled with the recent appointment of Germantown's Superintendent to the MATC board certainly shows that MATC is where we need to be sending our money. This provides the technical college board a 'hidey-hole' from which they can summarily dismiss our petition.
These so-called "free" computers carry a very heavy price in my opinion. The property tax increase alone to be collected from Germantown citizens will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Let's say, for argument, that the increase in MATC's property tax collection will be $300,000. If that were the case, then the "free" computers cost only about $15,000 each. Too tough on MATC? Okay. Let's say they'll gather only $200,000. Then each "free" computer will have only cost us about $10,000. If we add the historic annual over-payment extracted from us without a voice, the cost is in the millions of dollars for "free" laptop computers.
Then there is this whole question of accountability. Actually, there is a question as to UNaccountability. How in the world is it that this frugally-run institution can come up with this kind of money when we didn't even request their assistance? How is it that this appropriation didn't even require board approval? How is it that WCTC actually sells its used computers at the end of their useful lives, let alone not giving "free" computers to communities in its district?
It appears this could well be validation that the inmates run this asylum.
No connection? Please spare us the obvious truth-stretching. Why else would we receive this largess at this time without knowing it was coming or even having made a request for such consideration? Of course there is a connection. To try to convince us otherwise gives us a very real look into the utter disregard with which us taxpayers of Germantown are held.
We not only have no voice, we deserve no voice because we don't know enough to come in from the cold!
