Ripple effects of District 200 referendum

I never had any kids (had mumps in childhood), so I got to pay property taxes since 1975 but not for the benefit of my kids.

Now I think lots of families move into Oak Park (when their kids are ready for high school) and put up with higher costs for 4-5 years before they move on — that is, if the kids don't live with their aunt or grandpa in Oak Park. But it costs all of us money in the form of higher property taxes. But anything for the kids, right?

When you get old, you may not be able to afford long-term care, but people in Canada get it! Postal workers get it! Military people get it! We in America sacrifice old folks by making war all over the world and for the future of our kids (who don't listen to us).

So District 200 people say we need money to protect kids against drugs — so they make right decisions. We of Oak Park with more churches per square mile that any other city in America (maybe the world) need schools to teach kids righteousness. What does that tell you about our churches?

Think about this: A corporation is an artificial person created by law to do or not to do a certain definite thing! D200 is not doing the basic thing, i.e. reading, writing, and arithmetic. Branching out into correct decisions is ultra vires (a legal term in Latin, meaning not authorized). In America today, we learn about the bottom line. The decision which brings the biggest pile of money is often chosen (almost required by stockholders).

We learn how BP Amoco can pollute the Gulf with an oil spill, and be thought of as great after causing long-term damage (est. $60 billion +) and paying less than $20 billion. Was this a correct decision? Maybe those adults graduated from OPRF High School.

So maybe D200 should have bought the Vice Fund (VICEX) and now $150 million in 2003 would be nearly $300 million. But we probably did save some banks who paid D200 very little interest.

Murrell Selden
Oak Park