A Certain Arrogance of Certain Voters

Even though it more or less is violating our word, we are going to revisit a subject. Sort of. You may recall that, a few weeks back, we raise the ire of residents of Grosse Pointe Woods and the Grosse Pointe Public Schools over the Schools of Choice question. There were some comments in response to that which we cannot get out of our minds; they demand a response. Not because of how exactly they relate to the issue at hand, but in how they can relate to almost all political questions. It provides, we believe, we hope, a teachable moment.

We will not name the authors of the comments, both out of courtesy and because it really doesn't matter who said them. The ideas hidden within the remarks are instructive enough themselves, as, again, they actually may be applied to many issues totally unrelated to the schools.

One person said: ...the taxpayers in the Grosse Pointe School District (which includes a portion of Harper Woods, as well as all 5 Grosse Pointe communities) have voted time and time again to pay additional taxes to fund our schools. All in all, the generous taxpayers in our district pay approximately $3,000.00 per student above and beyond what the State chips in. Said another: We also spend an additional $3,000 per student each year that comes directly from additional taxes homeowners here pay each year. We don't mind paying the extra taxes to fund our schools. Opined a third: the generosity of gp community members who passed local millages 25% of the district budget is from local funds.

Enough said; the point is pretty plain. It can be restated, essentially, with the old argument that certain areas willingly pay more in taxes for certain things.

But exactly how willingly? Surely none of the millage votes within the Grosse Pointes have been passed unanimously? What is really happening there, and what actually happens anywhere that any millages of any kind are being promoted, is that the majority of the voters who bothered to vote have decided to make everyone pay for what they want. There is, then, and without doubt, a significant number of taxpayers whose generosity is being forced by the hand government. Even local government.

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of phrases such as: We don't mind paying extra taxes for (insert own cause here). The plain fact is that that we is implied as all inclusive when anyone can see, with a moment's reflection, that it clearly isn't the case.

Except for the we who wanted the tax increase.

This is not to say that all millages are unworthy of support by a rational person. Indeed, the converse of what we say is also true: we cannot have a decent society run by the tyranny of the minority either. But merely because a majority, even a significant one, wants something, cannot mean that what they want is morally valid.

We believe it was Abraham Lincoln who said that all democracy ultimately means is that fifty percent of the people plus one can make everyone else do what they want. Regardless, it is a concept which needs to be much closer to the fronts of our minds.