Letter: School taxes benefit society

Friday, June 1, 2001 | 2:57 a.m.

I read with interest the May 27 letter by Judi Root, essentially complaining about senior citizens having to pay taxes to support local schools. The letter ended, "Taxing a senior is not fair."

In response, I ask the following questions: Is it fair that my taxes pay for CAT bus service even though I do not ride the bus? Further, is it fair that my taxes pay for CAT Paratransit service, which is largely utilized by seniors? Is it fair that my taxes pay for new crosswalks and light signals outside retirement communities, though I will never walk across one? Why must I, a junior citizen, be burdened with paying taxes toward these services when I do not use them? Why can't seniors pay for them?

The answer of course is that within a local community our tax dollars go to pay for many services that we never use or need, but provide for the common good. Our schools are at the breaking point in terms of class size, building capacity, textbook shortages, teacher shortages and a litany of other problems. The education of children of this community is of utmost importance, because in the future, many of them will become the citizens of this community.

If Root and other seniors are upset with having to pay school taxes, then perhaps they should incorporate their own city, without a school district. I think there is plenty of vacant land west of Pahrump.

JIM GIUFFRE