Omaha's restaurant tax produced more revenue than expected. Does that mean the tax rate can be reduced?

The fact that this question had to be asked at all is a call to action.  This article is about Omaha, NE but it is an article that would be applicable to any number of cities in the US.  Some of the particulars in this article were adjusted slightly in the interest of privacy.

A little background on the above question is in order. Not long ago our Democratic mayor just fresh from his recall escape enacted a 2 ½ percent tax on restaurants and all prepared food. The reason given was to balance the budget and begin to address the city’s debt problem. To no one's real surprise (as this administration is not noted for their proficiency) the tax netted far more than they had expected. The above question was posted on Facebook by a local television station in response to that unexpected windfall.

Below is the second response to the above posting.

“Can some of the money go to pay for the court usage that our tennis players now have to pay… ?”

There were several responses that followed and the gist of them was to apply the money to the current debt. Not to be deterred 9 posts later…

“You don't understand the tennis situation. We tennis players have been using the courts for years, using our own money to upkeep and update the courts. Now this year the city came along and decided to charge us for using the ...”

With that second post there came a moment of clarity. In these dozen or so posts the crux of our entire debt crisis was defined in the most basic of terms. With no more than a dozen or so keystrokes the following items were found as listings in the Omaha Parks and Recreation Budget: Golf, Golf Concessions, Marinas, and yes, even Tennis. There was also a listing for Citywide Sports, which I imagine it is a catchall to cover such sports as baseball, softball and the like.

This is where the real budget problems originate, this is at the core of the budget issues at hand and it is why the general public is all but fed up with city and state governments. They are told that they are to sacrifice and valuable services need to be cut, yet our city budget reads like an island resort’s activity listing.

The city government has no place in these types of activities. In the instance above the person could not understand why they should bear the cost of their own child’s recreation. In the last couple of years all but a lonely few of our private golf courses have had to close as they could not compete with the below market value charges that the public golf courses offered.

In each of these activities if they are profitable they belong in the private sector and if they are not profitable it is immoral to ask the public as a whole to provide recreational services for a select few. It is the users of these activities that should pay for their cost of operation as with any other services in the private sector.

With a little creative planning 100’s of thousands of dollars could be saved by the city and more than a few jobs created by the private sector. Every park in Omaha should have a private sector sponsor picking up 50% of the tab for the park's upkeep, updating, and insurance. There are many companies that would love to have their name on a public park with special private access to park facilities. If a tennis or basketball court is desired it should be totally funded by a private sector entity. All other recreation items listed should be privatized as soon as possible. This is a solution that will not only save the city money but also allocate the costs fairly to only those who use the services.

The people of Omaha, and the country have to look at everything in a new light, gone are the days when the government can be all for all. The government needs to focus its efforts on those services that benefit the greatest number of its citizens. All other activities need to be regulated to the private sector. It is these types of solutions that need to be forwarded by the GOP. Old dogma will not address today’s issues. It is important to understand that while the debt crisis is the catalyst to this action, even without the debt crises these actions would be proper and in keeping with our Party’s platform.

It is not enough to say “no new taxes!” We are the party of business and growth, we need to believe it, we need to use it, and we need to only propose solutions that will empower the private sector. If we truly believe in what the GOP stands for, if we truly believe that the private sector is the only real answer, our solutions must reflect that belief.   The time for change is now, the time to lead is now!