I admit that I have trouble understanding why I should vote for a bill that according to its supporters won't make any difference. According to its backers, the "Taxpayers Bill Of Rights" won't reduce the amount of tax dollars that go to schools, roads or other services. It will, however, dramatically reduce the amount I have to pay in taxes. This is a bit of magic I wish I could apply to all of life, not just taxes. Somehow, though, I don't think it works, in taxes or in life.

And the people who support this tax-reduction measure, like those who supported the late unlamented Tax Cap, appear to be well-heeled enough to afford to pay their share. Just mentioning it.

But here's what really bothers me: the attitude among TABOR proponents that I'm too stupid to decide what's good for me, and so are you.

Here in Gray, we get to vote at Town Meeting on virtually every dollar the Town spends. Anybody who's interested can attend Town Meeting and vote. If some members of our Council have their way and put the budget to referendum, we'll still have a vote. If a majority of us want to increase spending 10%, 20%, 50%, we should be able to. It's called "democracy", and people are dying all around the world to protect it.

We vote for our representatives in Augusta and Washington, too, and if we really don't approve of what they do, we can vote for somebody else. Are Sue Austin and Mark Bryant and Karl Turner up there hoodwinking us somehow? Do we really need protection from our own representatives?

No matter how TABOR pushers phrase it, such a law is yet another assault on our freedom. It's odd that its backers say the measure is an attack on big government, when it clearly still gives government another weapon to tell us how to run our lives. "You're too dumb to know how to vote or who to vote for," TABOR tells us, "so here's a law that will save you from yourself." Talk about Big Brother!

It also worries me that a 2/3 vote by the Town Council is required to allow us to vote on an override. In our Town, that's really a 4/5 vote, which means a minority of the Council could block any such attempt. This is democracy?

The Constitution of the United States begins with the words, "We the People". In this country, that's what government is: us. Majority rules, as long as minorities aren't trampled on. Most people must be satisfied with the way things are, or we'd boot out those responsible and change things.

That's the American Way.

And that's why I'm troubled by TABOR.

If you have a different view, feel free to send it to us. Who knows, maybe you'll convince me.