Put your money ...

The promoters of the “Thaw" should come out and vacate their "freezes" regardless of the referendum outcome. Their number one claim is that a floating FMV (Fair Market Value) is fairer, so why haven't they committed to putting their houses into the FMV so if the market slows again, their taxes would go down and ours wouldn't? Because they know the tax assessors are not going to initiate such an action voluntarily, and the Tax Assessor's Office will fight you fiercely if it does.

Fairly shared

I encourage everyone to vote Yes to Thaw the Freeze and make Columbus a welcoming community to those who want to buy a house here, raise a family here and start or build a business here.

People are our most valuable asset. Their ideas, their energy and their capital are any community's greatest resource. We should not have a tax system that drives people out of our city. Maybe being a closed community was a good idea some 35 years ago, but that is not the Columbus we are today. The Freeze has had unintended consequences and it does not protect seniors or those who have low or moderate incomes. It only benefits people who live in the same place for a very long time regardless of their age or income and hurts everyone else.

On any given street in Columbus, neighbors receiving the same city services pay wildly different property taxes. All people want is a reasonable and fair tax system. The Freeze is neither.

The proposal to Thaw the Freeze is the right solution.

People who currently have the Freeze will stay just as they are, but we will adopt a new, better tax system for all home purchases going forward. This is our chance to set things right and tsay to our children and others: "We want you to choose Columbus!"

Time to worry

Donald Trump is a misogynist, a liar and a narcissist. Mitt Romney called him "phony," Hillary Clinton described his behavior as "political arson," Bernie Sanders called him a "pathological liar," Senator Elizabeth Warren described his behavior as "petty bullying, flagrant narcissism and cheap racism," Fox News described his bitter attacks against anchor Megyn Kelly as "beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate," the media in North Korea described him as a "wise politician," and Vladimir Putin described him as "a really brilliant and talented person."

Leaders across the world denounced him when he described Mexicans as rapists and Muslims as terrorists. A British politician described him as a "dangerous fool who should not be allowed within 1,000 miles from British shores."

Donald Trump is a sexual predator and anti-feminist. He has called women "dogs," "pigs," "slob," "bimbo" and "disgusting animal." In a nationally televised GOP debate he made a joke about the size of his genitals. And of course we are all familiar with the graphic terms he used in the recently released video.

Donald Trump is the worst nominee put forward by a major political party in American history. In her column, Kathleen Parker said whether Donald Trump wins or loses, "don't be afraid, but be worried."

Historic precedent

Participation in political life is a virtue and both a moral and civic responsibility. Citizens must "see beyond party politics, analyze campaign rhetoric critically and choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or self interest, keeping in mind the common good.

The liberal press has castigated Mr. Trump for his remarks on corruption and a "rigged election," yet Andrew Jackson's first attempt to become president in 1824 faced the corruption of a rigged election by Henry Clay and John Q. Adams. In 1828 he ran against the status quo. "Intrigue , management and corruption" he thundered throughout his campaign. Deja vu?

America is arguably at the "mercy" of militant liberal progressive secularism — a way of life, which leaves God out of man's thinking; truth is now seen as an entirely subjective notion and that any distinction between truth and falsity should be abolished. Our freedoms, particularly the First Amendment, will not be assured in a Clinton administration This is not what Mr. Lincoln had in mind - "that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth".

Mrs. Clinton has a proclivity to mislead the public and is now under a federal investigation by the FBI as new information regarding her email server has been uncovered. With but days to the election will this affect her candidacy? If you or I were under federal investigation we could not apply for a job. This rule apparently does not apply to Mrs. Clinton.

No letters relating to the Nov. 8 election will be published after Friday, Nov. 4. Depending on volume, it is possible we might not be able to publish some letters received earlier. We will make every effort to publish letters received in time for the Friday deadline.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Put your money ...."