Aspen’s Misguided Recall Effort?
Emotions Ignored Facts
As I write this, I look at Omaha homes with derelict trees which really deserve to be cut down, yet the homeowners do not have the money because there are high property taxes to pay. Many homes could use some updating: a new roof, fresh paint, a sidewalk repaired or bushes trimmed. The broken hand rail on the steps is left in disrepair.
When Mayor Suttle was confronted with a shortfall in the City budget over a decade ago, he raised property taxes and created new taxes (https://time.com/archive/6595592/the-new-battle-cry-recall/), angering people. You would think local leaders would see this as a wake-up call to address the unfair and archaic tax systems Nebraska has, but it has had nearly no impact. Instead, a recall campaign began, largely organized by Jeremy Aspen. It was perceived or portrayed by the media as a partisan, and a divisive effort.
Considering Aspen’s choice to join the Democrat Party, I am forced to reconsider his efforts in the failed recall of Mayor Suttle. Was it just a scam to defuse taxpayer anger to avoid substantial changes in the tax system? How poorly was the campaign organized? Instead of a recall effort, why not a more robust campaign to elect better members of the City Council to reverse the high taxes or better ideas to change the way taxes are done?
If you and your spouse want to have five kids, you are basically discouraged from doing so in Nebraska because of the high property taxes. Gay couples and retirees are filling up Nebraska urban areas as new apartments emerge, while the rural areas, and urban home ownership shrink, and families flee, all because of bad tax policies. But the recall never came close to addressing this problem.
The unions opposed the recall so why should anyone think a union leader such as Mike McDonnell, who is running for Omaha Mayor, would improve Omaha’s tax situation? Because he became a Republican? Because of his meek support for the EPIC consumption tax (https://epicconsumptiontax.org/)? Get real! Yet, Aspen attempts to justify his Democrat membership based on a list of anti-Trump talking points. In the end, the recall failed.
Aspen thinks political parties are the end and be all of politics. This is false. Movements and factions are created around important interests and draw attention of political candidates. The recall failed because there was little unity as to what the alternative answers would be.
Nebraska is better than half the country merely because it has discipline for what exists, but Nebraska fails because it has no innovators to make Nebraska a brilliant place to be. In the end, this is why the recall campaigned failed and it rests on Aspen's shoulders.
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The parts are coming together on Aspen. He's a attention hound. From the failed recall to leaving the Republican Party loudly pulling the table cloth from the table full of dishes. His problem was and continues to be NOBODY cares what he says or does, and that has to be a punch to the gut. He's got a superiority complex in which he is the smartest guy in the room. I went to one of the recall meetings and seen that first hand. Question - he talked down to people or at least that was the impression. He had all the ideas and was not open to others. Will this be the last we will hear from him, doubtful. When Crazy Jane gets done spanking him he'll do something even more dramatic.