DEAR EDITOR:

As we are all very frustrated with our hard earned tax dollars being wastefully spent in Washington, we also have to suffer the same things at our local level. We provided millions of federal tax dollars to the banks for their so called bailout only to have them turn around and give millions of dollars for executive bonuses. Their excuse is that they are contractually bound to provide these excessive bonuses.

I say hogwash. Washington bureaucrats must think we are all dumb, but we know when we are being taken advantage of in a huge way. Now we are hearing that our hard-earned county tax dollars for SPLOST III are going to be used to put artificial turf on 16 playing fields in Cobb County.

First, I am wondering how many of us were aware that there were plans to use our tax dollars for artificial turf when we voted for SPLOST III?

In this economic downturn, this is an absolutely terrible time to even consider wasting our tax dollars on such a frivolous idea. I see trailers at almost every school in Cobb, and now they want to spend money on artificial turf? This is another bureaucratic boondoggle at our local level. I think we should all be outraged. I know I am.

I see where teachers are being required to take more furlough days, and to hold down pay raises. But we are told that SPLOST dollars are different, and can't be used for such trivial things as teachers' pay.

So let's spend millions of dollars on artificial grass. And the statements coming from the county to back up this spending plan defy logic. First they say that $16 million was initially set aside for this, but because of reduced SPLOST intake, they now have reduced that to $800,000 for each field, but say that it will only cost $500,000 to $600,000 to do the job. So they will let each school keep the extra huge amount of money to do with whatever they want. That is irresponsible thinking.

We keep hearing that in the long run it will save money, but again, we all know that is an absolutely bogus argument. I read that the schools pay anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000 per year for natural grass upkeep. There are plenty of lawns around the county that are as large as a football field and I don't think they are paying $30,000 per year for upkeep. If this were true, and I doubt that it is, I would think that the ticket sales to all the football games and other events should be used for field upkeep, and not our tax dollars. What are they using the gate income for anyway?

And to top it off, since three schools already have artificial turf, we are going to give the tax money to them anyway and let them spend it on whatever they want. Is this craziness or what?

There are so many things wrong with this plan that it defies common sense. I suspect that since football is king around the county, there are powers-at-be who want this to happen. It's kind of like bureaucrats building bridges to nowhere, just to further their own cause, and not at the best interest of the country, or county in this case.

The bottom line is that we need to make sure that the next time any SPLOST vote comes up in the future, we absolutely vote against it. I am already planning my sign for my yard for the next SPLOST vote "Remember that turf? Vote NO for SPLOST."

Al Heaton
Marietta