No New Taxes!

The school board says their referendumb (sic)
Won't raise taxes, so we won't spend 'em.

"Won't raise 'em (this year)",  -- they forgot to say,
But next year we will pay, and pay, and pay!

What fantasy in times like these
From a bunch of government employees...
Who think that money grows on trees!

We may be from a Central Minnesota zone
But a million bucks a year makes quite a dent --
                    They'll be askin' for another loan...

From us -- Taxpayers -- We're the only source.
They always want to put the cart before the horse.

Must be that new-math, no surprise!
The school that says our tax won't rise

When it comes time t'feed the chickens
We'll all be payin' like the dickens.

And the writers (who didn't sign)
That school board sheet will be denyn'
that they're even from the state of Minnesota
Where spending don't raise taxes one iota!

If you believe that, me and Forest Gump
Would like to sell some land that was a swump.

                           - Greg Molenaar    
                             November 1994

{Willmar, Minnesota addendum: Of course, taxes did go up in following years, and predictably the State backed off on it's share of the load, and a bookkeeping error disclosed about a million dollars in the wrong column, not in our favor.  Surprised?  Another bureaucrat's early retirement fund.)