Well ... I have to say it happens all the time, that people receive
government benefits without paying equally into the system. Just about
every tax you can name exempts some classes of citizen from paying it.
They still get the benefits, if benefits there are.
This is true on a larger scale of city life as a whole. When Tony the
barber put a bench on the sidewalk in front of his shop, he improved
sociability and "eyes on the street" for other users of Baltimore Ave.
like me, even though I never got my hair cut there.
So obsessing over whether somebody, somewhere might be getting a benefit
they didn't pay for seems like a fruitless way to worry about our
neighborhood. If Tony the barber, or UCD, improves things for the rest
of us, who cares, really? The problem is when they do something bad.
Honestly bad, I mean, not made-up bad.
In the case of the Mt. Airy BID, I would suggest people think about the
differences between the two neighborhoods and the two BIDS, as well as
the similarities. That's the best way to develop a sense of our
practical options for community self-management.
-- Tony West
Dan Myers wrote:
I'm still on the fence on this (as many of us might be)
And even though the BID (or NID or DID) has limited benefits. Perhaps
when assessed, the benefits would increase? And whose to say if
imposing the "descending mantle" might make people want 5 unit
dwellings to improve the area? Wouldn't that be nice? Ok, call me an
optimist. Maybe I still don't quite understand how imposing a tax to
those who don't directly benefit from the benefits works when some
people who are getting the benefits aren't paying a dime.
Dan Myers
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