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Unfortunately, the collapse of many major financial institutions 2 months ago was the major reason that Prop. 1 did not pass. There wasn’t an overwhelming majority of the electorate who voted against the proposition. 59% is not a mandate, but considering the circumstances, it makes sense that the bill wasn’t warmly received.
Most of the American people are not thrilled about having to “bail out” Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, etc. I think the resentment of the taxpayers is making any tax increase seem unfair and unnecessary. If this proposition had been on the ballot during an economic surplus, it may have passed. However, there is serious concern about the economy’s strength in the near future. Whenever the general public is extremely concerned with being able to financially support their family (pay their mortgage, make car payments, buy food for their children, etc.) a tax hike for “green causes” is almost an insult to the common intelligence.
Conserving land is similar to buying life insurance………paying for it now isn’t quite as exciting as spending money on something you will enjoy in your lifetime. Land conservation isn’t considered a “crisis” in Cache Valley by the majority of its inhabitants, so it is easy for the average citizen to think a tax increase as unnecessary. A perfect example is that my own beautiful wife Shelley voted against it!! I couldn’t believe she did that, but she had a convincing argument. She told me that in “this economy”, she didn’t want to pay another $16/year for land that wasn’t hers. I disagree with her, but I understand her perspective.
To understand the viewpoints of a lot of Cache Valley voters, check out this article in the Herald Journal. A lot of people did not like the “man” telling them that they had to pay to conserve land that didn’t belong to them. Personally, I can get hacked off when I feel that my taxes are being increased little by little, for no good reason.
It will be a while before a bill like Prop. 1 is back on the ballot. I think most folks will actually have to consider our “Critical Lands” in critical condition before we see a legitimate public outcry for this type of legislation again. Just my two cents sportsfans.
