W.E. Heasley on how Greensboro and Guilford County taxpayers are milked by our political and business elite

"The "1/4 cents makes sense" organization
wanted the additional revenue to fund activities X.

Hence Y revenue [1/4 cent] was needed for X.

When 1/4 cent was voted down
(believe that was the third tax increase voted down)
then X activities were at risk.

Hence Z property tax increase was passed outside voter control as X was at risk.

...Hence X is really a combination/accumulation/summation of special interests.

If the revenue caved in the the special interest is not rewarded
hence their political support is reduced/removed.

Hence, the politicos had to have the revenue
to support activities X or else their political constituency building efforts,
produced by/through taxpayer money would be eroded.

Its apparent you have a long list of special interests, how they benefit,
and the connected politico to the process.

What the electorate does not understand
is the Public Choice Theory components which connects the dots
back to their tax money.

Stated alternatively, the semi-stealth special interest activities
and the "some people" politico system
which benefit the players of these two groups
is funded directly by taxpayer dollars.

"The fundamental principle of socialism

is that its is appropriate to use force to organize society,

to take from some and give to others.

The government has nothing to give.

The government is simply a mechanism which has the power

to take from some to give to others.

It is a way in which some people can spend other peoples' money

for the benefit of a third party - and not so incidentally themselves". -

Milton Friedman

Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1981, p11.

The last sentence of Friedman's quote
is what you are eluding to
...which is actually Public Choice Theory..."

Public Choice Theroy defined:

politics without the romance.

James, M. Buchanan, George Mason University

W.E. Heasley