To the editor:

With the November ballot proposition to again attempt to raise the tax rate on residents of the Mehlville School District, the school board seems to forget something: The general economy has gone south for a lot of people.

Unemployment is high and many who are employed have cut back on spending and, if possible, increased their savings rate as a cushion against the future. Unfortunately, government agencies that rely on tax revenues for their operations fail to understand this. The Mehlville School District is no exception, spending tax revenue like there is no tomorrow and demanding more.

All tax-guzzling agencies, including the Mehlville School District, need to reduce expenditures to match current economic reality. Tax revenues are down because personal income is down. Recent publicity about salaries and benefits of some of the administrators is one place eligible for cuts. As President Obama said: At some point, you’ve made enough money.

Tighten your belts like the rest of us have. Reduce personnel by attrition and increase productivity of current employees are two more suggestions.

Generally, school boards seem to think that if they say it’s for education, all discussion ends and we should accept it without dispute. The value of good education is not lost on me. Education is essential to the survival of the country and future generations. Government agencies need to learn how to use their revenue as efficiently as private industry does. I predict this proposition will fail like Mehlville’s last request for 97 cents in 2006.

Jon W. Marx, Ph.D.

Oakville