Nov. 26, 2003

By Staff
Little's vengeance
To the editor:
As soon as the election was over, I asked my husband if he thought Lauderdale County Superintendent of Education David Little would now do something in an attempt to cost Denise and Joey Knight their jobs. He said he didn't think so, because it would be political suicide. He was wrong. I was right (this time).
Time after time, I have watched these two being vilified by who Mrs. Irby calls a "Christian man." It breaks my heart because I know without a shadow of a doubt that Denise and Joey would never be involved in anything as Mr. Little has claimed.
As for being a Christian, I tend to wonder about that for the simple reason the Bible has told us if we know a brother has done something wrong, you first go to that brother and confront him/her with what you perceive as the wrong, and allow the brother to make it right. Mr. Little not only did not do that, but first brought it to the attention of the media in order to circumvent the legal remedies he had and the Christian obligation he had. How wrong is that?
Day after day I read the rantings of this so-called Christian man as he has tried to ruin not only the careers of this couple, but their good names as well. Ask yourself if he saw a wrong or a perceived wrong, why did he not go to them and ask them about it first? Why did he find it necessary to go to the media? There can only be one reason. Vengeance.
Why am I writing? Because I see a lovely couple being wronged and I want to be sure people think about what has occurred. It is this type behavior which gives Christians a bad name. A Christian would not do this unless all other avenues were exhausted.
I have not known Joey as long as Denise, but I can tell you with all I am, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, Denise would never do anything she knew was illegal, immoral of which would cause pain to another. That is the definition of a Christian.
I believe Mr. Little saw how close the election was and decided the quickest way to rid himself of a real threat was to lie about him.
Shame on you, David Little. Perhaps we should take a lesson from California and use our recall power to get rid of the real problem in this system.
Marilyn M. Scott
Meridian
What is the truth about property taxes?
To the editor:
What is truth? The Internet search engine Google returned 12 million results for a search about the word truth. Listen to any debate today and you will hear opposing sides sermonize about the truth. Sometimes, truth is only what is palatable to our emotions what causes us the least discomfort, or gives our ego the greatest glory.
Maybe we impute truth to our actions so that we profit monetarily, gain influence or power. It is unfortunate that our society has used the word "truth" to define and promulgate so many bizarre perspectives that the word has become mere rhetoric "branding for a product line," something to be sold.
What is the truth when it comes to Lauderdale County property taxes? By way of the Internet and www.deltacomputersystem.com, you can review the tax assessments for Lauderdale County. For the sake of curiosity I obtained the information for me and everyone living on the same county road. The land is all comprised of woods, hills and valleys, yet the range of (per acre) assessment values are from $755 to $9,000.
A call to the Tax Assessor's office will provide one with polite, professional opinions and justifications truth from "another perspective."
If you build a new home in Lauderdale County, you will likely be surprised by the appraisal. If you go to the courthouse and question the appraisal, the staff in the assessor's office will ask you the following questions: What do you have your home insured for and what would you sell it for. The immediate effect of these two questions is to induce a little shame for questioning the authority of the appraisal.
People who have lived in Lauderdale County for a long time have a legitimate reason for questioning. That is because, historically, tax assessments on homes have been roughly one-third the marketable value. Enough money was collected to run local government and everyone knew the assessor's office did not appraise property like a commercial real estate firm.
Today the tax assessor's office has gone through a metamorphosis. The assessor's office will say this is being done because the state requires it. (My state senator said that as far as he knows, the only requirement from the state is a reappraisal every 10 years). The aggressive, ramping up of tax assessments (including existing homes) and resulting tax collection has all the appearances of a tax grab. Is this the truth? Where is the money going?
Has writing this letter been a waste of time? Does anyone else have a similar view? My supervisor says he understands and is working with the board of supervisors. If a remedy is available from the board, I would encourage all who share the same frustrations to contact their supervisor and urge them to reduce the millage.
If taxpayers say nothing and do nothing, the opportunity for change will be lost, high property taxes will be a permanent reality and you already burdened, family budget will have taken another hit. That is the truth.
Tim Martin
Meridian