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On July 11 I wrote that the tax burdens in Fredonia and Dunkirk have become excessive, punitive, and detached from the principles of limited government. That concern has only deepened. County, town, and school taxes continue to climb while the performance of too many elected and appointed officials remains disappointing. Residents are asked to pay more and receive less in competence, transparency, and results.
Nowhere is the gap between cost and outcome more troubling than in education. Decades of rising tax-supported spending have not produced corresponding gains in public school student achievement. International comparisons continue to show American students lagging in the very subjects that create informed citizens.
Shamefully, American education finds itself near the bottom of these studies. Vast sums of public money have not reliably filled young minds with knowledge; too often they leave them, in Rush Limbaugh's memorable phrase, with "heads full of mush." When tax dollars fail to deliver the educated citizenry a free society requires, the public is entitled to demand better.
The same misdirection of resources appears at the collegiate level. A tax-funded institution that once took pride in traditional academic programs -- especially the preparation of teachers -- now appears to favor athletic expansion and building projects over its core educational mission. Taxpayers who underwrite these institutions have every right to ask whether priorities still serve the public good.
New York law channels legitimate change through the electoral process. Low voter turnout does not legitimize poor results; it simply highlights the duty of informed citizens to participate. (I believe that any election result that has not produced 50% of the qualified voting public should be disregarded!) Officials who consistently fail to deliver value should face the judgment of the electorate -- or, if conscience prompts them, consider resigning. Neither path requires disruption beyond the peaceful tools our system already provides.
I do not advocate violence or intimidation of any kind. My duty, like that of any free citizen, is to expose waste, resist the normalization of failure, and insist on accountability. The pen remains mightier than the sword.
It is time for a clear message: enough is enough. Higher taxes without better results are unacceptable. Schools and colleges that lose sight of their educational purpose forfeit public confidence. Officials who treat public office as a protected position rather than a public trust invite the electoral reckoning the law contemplates.
Citizens are not bottomless revenue streams. We are free people whose labor and dignity deserve respect. Fiscal restraint, educational excellence, and accountable government are not radical demands -- they are the minimum standard a self-governing people should expect.
Jim Giatas is a Fredonia resident.