Questions That Need Answers

1. Why are the OKC Elite are in such a hurry to pass a new Maps Tax? 
2. Is there some emergency we don't know about?
   
3. Why don't we have time to debate the issues thoroughly in public forums? 
4. Don't we have time to take a breath and really study the issues?
5. Why won't the Mayor allow citizens to voice their concerns about the new Maps Tax during the citizen input portion of the City Council meetings? What is he afraid of?
   
6. Is it possible that the $80-90 million that would be left in taxpayers' pockets might be better spent by them, for their needs, as we are sliding deeper into economic Depression?
7. If any of the projects are good today, won't they still be good in a year or two when the timing might be better?
   
8. Why are the OKC Elite spending almost a Million Dollars on a slick ad campaign, but won't schedule any debates? 
9. What did City Manager Couch mean in the Nov. 24 Council Meeting when he said that there were budget issues that needed to be discussed right after the Maps Tax vote so they could re-adjust the budget? Is there more economic bad news that means more layoffs of city workers and cutbacks in city services? (Remember: they've already announced an across-the-board spending cut starting January 1st.)
   
10. If we have economic bad news that he knows about, aren't the Mayor and Council in dereliction of their duty by not telling us now? Shouldn't they consider postponing or canceling the election?
11. Is spending $25 million a mile for a downtown streetcar system the most important thing we can do to improve public transit for the entire city?
    
12. Should the city be building a $25 million whitewater rafting and kayaking attraction when it is obviously not a profitable economic investment? (If it was, then entrepreneurs would be making a proposal to the City.)
13. Should the City be competing with private fitness centers and the Y's by building $50 million worth of "senior citizen aquatic centers?" (They supported Bass Pro Shops at the expense of private enterprise sporting goods stores that didn't get a subsidy.)
    
14. Doesn't adding "senior citizen aquatic centers" to the new Maps Tax dream list appear to be a transparent attempt to solicit senior citizens' votes for their pig in a poke?
15. Does smearing lipstick in the form of the "Maps" brand on this pig's list of projects make them more economically feasible?
16. Does the apparent success of Maps1 (we can see the pretty buildings, river and canal) mean that every Maps project will be equally successful?
17. Did building all those new public school buildings with Maps2 make any significant improvement in educational results?
18. How specifically have Oklahoma City taxpayers benefited from the $121 welfare payment made to the millionaire Thunder ownership group? What about the subsidy from subsidy from the State Legislature?
19. How trustworthy are the projections to raise $777 million ($100 million a year) when the highest ever sales tax collection for one penny was $92.5 million?
20. How will OKC charities minister to the needs of the poor and homeless if they are displaced by a new park? (City Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, Jesus House, etc.)
21. What is the City's plan to get the extra 200 police and 50 firefighters that studies show we need?
22. How does the City plan to pay for the new $300 million jail that apparently the Feds will require we build to replace our current mess?
23. What property do current and past Councilmen and Mayors own in and within a 1-2 mile radius of Maps projects and the proposed Core To Shore development? (An investigators out there want to look up the land records?)
24. What property do major backers of the Maps3 project own in and within a 1-2 mile radius of the Maps projects?
25. If any current Councilmen have properties in No. 23 above, wouldn't that be clearly a conflict of interest and they shouldn't vote to approve the project?
    

 Send your questions to info@killthemapstax.com, and we'll add it to the list!