A NO VOTE DOESN'T MEAN YOU DON'T CARE.

[Shadowninja]

Dearest readers,

Voting NO on a school bond does not mean someone hates children, teachers, or their community.

I've watched bond discussions in St. Charles, St. Johns, Grand Ledge, Saginaw Township, Chippewa Valley, DeWitt, Lake Orion, Meridian, Hemlock, and Freeland.

And something continues to bother me.

The way people are sometimes treated simply because they disagree with a bond proposal.

❤️ These are your neighbors. Your coworkers. Your friends. Your grandparents.

They're the elderly couple who worked their entire lives, paid off their home, raised their children, and now live on a fixed income.

They're ALICE households. Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Working families who earn a paycheck but still struggle to afford life's basic necessities.

They're parents stretching every dollar and seniors wondering how much longer they can afford to stay in the homes they've lived in for decades.

And remember, it's not just one school bond.

It's school millages, county millages, township millages, city millages, and everything else that adds up on a property tax bill.

When someone says, "It's only another $10 or $20 a month," remember that for some families, that's groceries, medication, or money they simply don't have.

And some people may be able to afford it but disagree with the projects, the financing, or the priorities. That's their right, too.

❤️ Supporting our schools and questioning a bond are not mutually exclusive.

People who vote YES may genuinely believe they're doing what's best for their community. People who vote NO may believe exactly the same thing.

That's why we have elections.

A YES vote deserves respect. A NO vote deserves respect.

So before labeling someone as anti-children, anti-teacher, or anti-community, remember that you don't know what happens behind their front door.

A person's financial circumstances or opinion on a bond do not determine how much they care about children.

And a little compassion costs absolutely nothing. ❤️

With receipts and respect,
🦉 Lady Budgetdown

#LadyBudgetdown #MichiganSchools #SchoolBonds #ALICEHouseholds #SeniorCitizens #PropertyTaxes #EveryVoiceMatters #CommunityMatters #RespectYourNeighbors