As some of you are already aware local bully and tyrant, Fred Parsells, submitted a letter to the Keene Sentinel  titled: Stealing from Keene taxpayers, early last week.  In it he actually suggests that the residents of Keene should blame their high property tax on the Robin Hooders. I immediately submitted my own rebuttal but it was denied because it did not meet the Sentinel’s standards. It would seem that it is quite alright for Fred to call the Robin Hooders thieves but not for me to call him a busybody and a parasite. Here is my submission:
 In response to Fred Parsell’s letter “Stealing from Keene taxpayers.”
Sorry Fred, you got it wrong.  The Robin Hood of lore was not stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. He was in fact taking money back from an oppressive government that stole through forced taxation and giving it back to the rightful owners. The taxpayers. A lot of folks don’t seem to understand that part.
Something else people might not be clear about: This year the city estimates it will take in $634,406 from meter collections and fines, but will end up spending $602,000 on the parking enforcement operating costs for a whopping total gain of $32,406. Does anyone not see a problem here? The fines and collection barely pay for the enforcers and their uniforms. So why even have them? If the city managers believe it’s so important to get folks to visit downtown and spend their money, why risk scaring them away with nasty tickets?
The bottom line here:  Fred, who has been living off the backs of the taxpayers his whole working career, can’t fathom the idea of a community operating with any efficiency without the heavy hand of a tax-payer funded city government making every decision for us.   The answer is the free market. If Keene is to survive the coming days, it must evolve past  this mentality that government is the only solution to all of its problems.
Fred, what do you actually do? Besides collecting $56,610 a year in pension and $x/year as a housing inspector. Every time I’ve seen you downtown you’re either helping the parking enforcers write tickets or washing chalk off the sidewalks with your little spray bottle. You’re nothing but a busybody and a meddler. If you really cared about the taxpayer, you’d quit your job and give back some of that pension.
Conan Salada – Candidate for City Council – ward 4
