To the editor:

Apparently, City Commissioner Highberger has not learned or has forgotten that taxes have consequences. According to our federal government, U.S. citizens don’t save enough. But here in Lawrence, according to this newspaper, some leaders in the Lawrence City Hall think such a tax may be a good idea. Let me be perfectly clear, this is not a good idea – no matter what direction you take. Let’s review. Citizens are asked to save and invest. What, so the city of Lawrence can tax the earnings – all in the name of helping the poor? Give me a break.

It appears to me that the city of Lawrence does not, and apparently has not, had sufficient revenues to satisfy the city’s needs and the wishes of some of its elected officials. Gracious, is it possible the city has been living beyond its means for some time?

We live in a dynamic era. You either adapt to the changes in society or you atrophy. Commissioner Highberger and all Lawrence city leaders, adopting an intangibles tax is a bad idea. Think and recall – we live in America. Lawrence city funds used to devise ways to get more tax revenue from its citizens would be better spent expanding the city’s tax base.

James A. “Tim” Cook, Jr.,

Lawrence