Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. — (Proverbs 22:16)
It is immoral to take from the poor and give to the rich — this is an axiom shared by almost all people, whether or not they subscribe to any set of religious beliefs.
We have a situation in Fort Smith where the people are being asked to approve a regressive sales tax increase in order to pay for the construction of a private museum, which is planned to be extravagant and palatial, despite there being insufficient interest in the project to raise enough funds to be built and past promises that it would be privately funded.
The stated goal of the museum proponents and others is to increase the appeal of downtown so that developers can work their magic and create exciting new ways to make profits for themselves and their businesses.
They have been working hard to get us to believe that the future of Fort Smith and all our prosperity moving forward depends on the construction of this museum.
Although they know the people of Fort Smith are struggling with high utility bills, a low median household income, and that we have already been subsidizing this project for years, these developers are asking for more.
We have more important priorities in Fort Smith right now than to be chasing the dreams of a relative handful of extremely wealthy developers. Do not let them fool you into paying for their impractical palace on the river.
Personally, I am appalled that they have even made such a request given the dire straights in which so many of our people live.