Once again we heard “Gimme, gimme, gimme,” from Story County and unfortunately, they got what they asked for. Last week a local-option sales tax was passed which will go into effect July 1, 2003 and end June 30, 2013.

Yeah, right … May 30, 2013, they will come up with something new to spend the one-cent sales tax on and keep it. The new school will be 10 years old by then and will need renovating or the students will each need a new computer or the class hamsters will need to have nannies take care of them during school breaks. I wouldn’t put it past them.

First of all, it is appalling that sales taxes are going up, again. Secondly, it is terrible the way Story County uses the university and the student population to make money. I understand that those who are in permanent residence here will have to pay for this tax all year round and for the duration of the time period set. We (the students at Iowa State) only pay it for four to five years — that is, if we choose to move out of the county once we are done with our specific degree. It is another incentive for me to move out of the county once I graduate.

I know that it is only one cent, but that adds up over time. Imagine how much more book prices will be for the college students; one more penny per dollar that is spent on books. That’s a lot of change!

According to the Ames Tribune, the estimated tax proceeds will come to 95 million dollars. All of the money has to come from somewhere, and considering that the population of Ames doubles when school is in session, a lot of the money is going to come from us, the poor college students who eat ramen and Totino’s pizzas.

This is the third time that they tried to pass this sales tax hike. Obviously it was unpopular enough in the past to be turned down — twice. According to the Ames Tribune it was turned down in February 2000 by 39 votes and only eight months later it failed again by 1,300 votes. What happened this time? Did people just get tired of having to vote it down that they just didn’t go and vote? How many more times would they have tried to pass this before they finally got their penny? It only passed by 1,405 votes. That is a very small number considering all of the registered voters in this county. But if it had passed by only 10 votes that is all it would have needed. See how important voting is?

It is also very upsetting that most of us will never see that money that is magically flying out of our pockets. I wasn’t planning on staying in Story County after I graduate, which means that my children will not attend this proposed 23-28-million-dollar middle school that is planned to be built in Ames.

Wow, I’m glad that I can afford to send someone else’s kid to a nice school.

In the Ames Tribune, a parent from Ames was quoted after she voted for the tax as saying, “Because it’s for the kids, it was a no-brainer.” Yeah, let’s tax all of the college students so our kids can go to a nice school. This parent is correct. It is a no-brainer — from her standpoint, that is. She will have to pay the extra cent as well but the college students will pick up the other half of the bill and it will be her children and the children of her friends that will be enjoying the new schools.

Let’s face it. Story County wouldn’t thrive as well as it does without the university and the university wouldn’t survive without the students. If only Story County could realize this and think about what they are doing before they decide to tax us for money that we don’t have.

I’ll go back to eating my Ramen now. Have fun with my money.

Sarah Bolton

is a senior in English

from Glidden.