I have one question for those who oppose Kevin Gaughan’s efforts to reduce government’s size and cost: What’s our idea to lower taxes and get our community moving again? His eye-opening research, which I saw at one of his speeches, shows that every Erie County resident pays for 25 town and 16 village governments, and all their politicians. Portions of the state, federal and sales taxes we pay are passed on to each of our 41 local governments, supplementing the property taxes they collect.

Gaughan’s point that we’re all in this together—because no matter where we live in Erie County, we all pay for every local government—blows away any effort to paint him as an “outsider.” That’s why politicians denied him access to speak in Sloan. They didn’t want residents to hear his facts.

As for the treatment Gaughan received, Ernest Hemingway defined courage as “grace under pressure.” In Gaughan’s behavior, we saw the courage of a man standing up with dignity for what he believes. And we’re all having important discussions and votes on how we govern ourselves as a result.

Sloan