In the News Simply Signing A Petition Isn't True Involvement In Government Our Voice Willis Mahannah A letter to the editor (at right) in opposition to our June 21 editorial indicates that the West Point News fears putting “people in charge.” Nothing could be farther from the truth, and regular readers of this paper will know that we frequently beg for more public involvement in government. But simply signing a petition for less spending isn’t true involvement in government. What many backers of this initiative really want is to save themselves the trouble of getting actively involved in government. It’s easy to sign a petition; it’s a little harder to study the issue and understand its ramifications. Ask anyone if they want the state to control spending and taxes, and the answer will likely be “yes.” Like we said in that same June 21 editorial, “We’re as frustrated as anyone about taxes.” But the solution isn’t the SOS initiative. Supporters look to Colorado, where they say a similar version of SOS was the state’s savior. According to The Taxpayers Network, which each year publishes a list of state spending and tax comparisons, a family of four with a $50,000 income paid more in income taxes in Denver than they did in Omaha in 2004 (most recent comparison available). Where Coloradans saved was in property taxes ($1,000 less), which is why the Colorado family’s tax burden was $930 less than the Omaha family’s. And that’s the biggest reason we oppose this measure — it doesn’t address the issue that most adversely affects this area’s residents — property taxes. We’ve editorialized before on how unfair that system is on rural property owners. But nothing in the SOS initiative will help that sector. In fact, it will likely increase the reliance on property taxes. The letter writer also claims that he signed and filed the SOS initiative with the Secretary of State, not a group from Illinois as we stated in the June 21 editorial. He may have signed the papers, but right beside his name on the paperwork filed under the heading of “Sponsor” is Americans for Limited Government, based in Glenview, Ill. As of May 30, the sole source of funding for the initiative campaign was a group in Boise, Idaho, called America at Its Best, which contributed $100,000 to the signature-seeking blitz. We fully understand that it’s the people of this state who must sign the petition and then vote on the issue if it gains the support needed to be put on the ballot. But we still don’t understand why there is so much out-of-state support to control what happens in Nebraska. Sorry, but paying petition circulators with out-of-state money to collect signatures in support of a plan that failed in another state really isn’t our idea of putting Nebraskans in charge.