Herbkersman: Feedback really helps This column is a combination report on what I am hearing from you on issues raised previously in this space, and a request for participation in events I will be attending this coming week. From the volume and the intensity of calls and e-mail, the subject that most of you are most interested in is the proposal to replace property taxes with a sales tax. This is actually a whole group of proposals that are generally about changing the way we collect and spend peoples' money. I have had conversations with some of the authors of these proposals, as well as many of you. There is more than a little confusion here. Some of the arguments in favor of going to a sales-tax-based system have to do with a perception that there is an underground economy with a sizable number of people utilizing our education and health systems without contributing to their support. Until I see some good numbers, that may be a hard case to make. Of course, by the nature of underground economies, there are only speculation and extrapolation, and not a lot of real measures to help us. It is difficult to discuss the immeasurable. There is also the notion that with property taxes, we are actually renting our property from the government, not truly owning it. While that may or may not be accurate, I think that idea may flow from the perception that property owners somehow subsidize those without real assets. I'm going to have to give that one some thought. On the other side of the debate, some folks point out that consumption tends to go in cycles and pegging revenue to a sales tax might not provide the predictability we need to properly budget for the future. Either way this comes out, I like the fact that we are talking about taxation because somewhere in that conversation, we are going to get to the fact that we in Beaufort County are a perennial donor, tax-wise, to the rest of the state. There also is a nagging feeling among a great many taxpayers that we just don't get good value for the taxes we pay. Needless to say, my mind is not made up on any of this. We need to listen to one another, maybe model the various scenarios mathematically, and then let it simmer a little while before we do anything too dramatic or revolutionary. We also got a ton of feedback on the Fender Bender Bill, for which I want to thank each of you. I tried to talk to as many law enforcement professionals and emergency response personnel as I could, as well as civilians. So far, the scorecard is 117-1 in favor of this (in my view) common-sense measure. In the coming week, I'm going to speak at an AARP function. I have been looking forward to this for a while, and I want to do a good job. What would really help me do as well as I would like is for as many folks among those who plan to attend the event to call me or e-mail me with specific questions and concerns. You can help me refine my message and I won't waste any of your time talking about things that don't matter to you. Also on the fun side of the ledger, Mary and I will be at the Bluffton Regatta this weekend and invite all our friends and neighbors to come out and join us for this good time for a good cause. Friends of the Rivers is a hard-working group of committed advocates for keeping our rivers as clean for our children as those that came before did for us. Community involvement is one of the things that make this area such a great place to live and raise our families. See you there. That same community involvement, whether you agree or disagree with the people you elect, is what makes our political process work better than any other. We are in this together. That's why they call it the House of Representatives. Bill Herbkersman represents District 118 in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He can be reached through his Web site at www.herbkersman.com or by telephone at 757-7900. Other state lawmakers are: Sen. Scott Richardson, R District 46 52 North Calibogue Cay Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29928 610 Gressette Bldg. Columbia, SC 29202-0142 (803) 212-6040 SR1@scsenate.org Sen. Clementa C. Pinckney, D District 45 P.O. Box 300 Ridgeland, S.C. 29936 613 Gressette Bldg. Columbia, S.C. 29202 (803) 212-6056 CCP@scsenate.org Rep. R. Thayer Rivers Jr., D District 122 P.O. Box 104 Ridgeland, S.C. 29936 532D Blatt Bldg. Columbia, S.C. 29211 (803) 734-3073 Rep. JoAnne Gilham, R District 123 21 Dune Lane Hilton Head Island, S.C. 29928 326C Blatt Bldg. Columbia, S.C. 29211-1867 (803) 734-2977 JG@scstatehouse.net Rep. Catherine Ceips, R District 124 1207 Bay St. Beaufort, S.C. 29902 326A Blatt Bldg. Columbia, S.C. 29211 (803) 734-3261 ceipsc@scstatehouse.net Rep. Walter P. Lloyd, D District 121 102 Rearden Lane Walterboro, S.C. 29488 (home) 549-5026 (fax) 549-1281 (office) 549-7586 434C Blatt Bldg. Columbia, S.C. 29211 (803) 549-5026 WPL@scstatehouse.net Click here to return to story: http://www.lowcountrynow.com/stories/082503/LOCherbkersmann.shtml