Headline of the decade ! ! !

From Reason magazine, via the Probably Bad News site.

Here's an excerpt from the article in question. I suspect Mr. Cooper might have been giggling while writing this. Lane County is in Oregon, BTW.

"We got our hand out (for more money) on one hand, and we're we're Contraction of we are.
we're we are spending money with the other," Dwyer said. "That's a dilemma that we face."

The commissioners hope that an intense, 10-month public-information campaign that hits media, the general public, the county's own workers and specific groups will convince people that they're getting a lot of county services for their money. That could encourage support for the county-wide income tax, which would generate $70 million annually to fund current and additional public safety services.

But officials must be careful not to spend money advocating for the income tax, as that would violate a state law that governs how public money can be spent on campaigns, county attorney Terry Wilson said.

The commissioners can spend public money on some things they believe are in the county's best interest, including support for legislation or efforts to win federal money, Wilson said.

However, she added, even though the commissioners believe that the income tax for public safety is in the county's interest, they can't spend money advocating for it because it's tied to a vote of the people, some of whom may oppose the tax, and therefore the promotional spending.

The commissioners are expected, later this year, to approve a personal-income tax for public safety that would take effect if voters in November agree to change the Lane County charter.

The individual commissioners can - and will - advocate for the tax, but Dwyer said money will be spent ensuring only that voters are educated about county services and funding when they vote on the tax plan.

Got it? Good. They're spending a staggering sum of Oregon taxpayer money to let you know that if you don't give them more money, they're going to run out of money. (Unlike our Federal government, states and counties can't print their own funds.)

Voters have rejected 11 straight county public safety measures.

May their tribe increase.

The county needs to communicate on a higher level with its citizens," county spokeswoman Melinda Kletzok said.

Kletzok, the county's public information officer, will be the point person for a campaign to explain county services and funding. It will include newspaper, radio and TV advertising; news releases; an increased Web site presence; a video; numerous printed materials; and meetings with groups ranging from Neighborhood Watch to chambers of commerce, she said.

Supervisors from each county department have promised to contribute a total of up to $200,000 from their budgets to the campaign.

Remember, Lane County voters, your elected officials had enough money stacked around the office to fund the campaign to give them more money.

Another $50,000 is set aside in Kletzok's budget.

Fight The Power.