perhaps it's not about the medical mart at all . . .

Here's something I posted as a comment over at BrewedFreshDaily a couple of days ago, and it seems to have gained traction. Based on some other intake I got over the weekend about a dog-and-pony show put on this past Friday by three desparate guys--Cimperman, Hagan, and Nance--this past Friday, I'm going to float the idea here. I say they're desparate because they're doing and saying things a prudent politician would not normally do or say. Are they on the ropes? Here's comment #22 to Jim Moran's letter, originally posted over at George's blog the day Gloria's Dreamhost server went down:

I’d like to throw out an idea or two here: The October 1st tax increase had nothing to do with any medical mart or convention center.

It merely had to do with getting increased cash flow into the county’s general fund by the end of the year.

The language of the REFERENDUM PETITION speaks to “the matter of increasing the sales and use taxes…by one fourth of one percent (1/4%) for a period of twenty years for the purpose of providing additional general revenues.” The resolutions themselves (#073101 and 073102) speak of “INCREASING THE RATE OF THE EXISTING COUNTY SALES [or USE] TAX FOR THE COUNTY’S GENERAL FUND TO THE RATE OF ONE AND ONE-FOURTH PER CENT.”

The county commissioners could have quite easily allowed a vote on the matter in the November 2007 election, which would have allowed the tax increase, if approved, to be effective the first quarter of 2008.

Can one quarter of cash flow make that much difference?

Now, if and when the referendum succeeds, the vote comes in March of 2008, and the cash begins to flow, if approved, in the second quarter of 2008, not the fourth quarter of 2007.

Was this increase without voter approval the desparate act of desparate men who need merely to balance a budget at the end of the year? If they are out of balance, what does that do to their future “bankability,” or their bond rating?

What are the rumors we heard at the Cuyahoga County fair this past weekend of the state auditor’s office having a sincere and genuine interest in scrutinizing Cuyahoga County’s books really soon?

What is the import of what Jill posted here yesterday, from the Center from Community Solutions newsletter, about dwindling sales tax revenues for the 25th consecutive month?

Is anybody else getting a different overall picture here, one that has nothing to do with a medical mart or a convention center?