January 1998
Affiliate News: Indiana
Johnson County Libertarians have "disposed" of a plan to tax them for trash pick-up by leading the charge against a mandatory, taxpayer-financed recycling plan.At a public meeting on November 18th, Cheryl Pearcy, leader of the Johnson County Libertarians, deluged officials with petitions signed by 262 residents opposed to the new plan.
Currently, residents contract with private trash haulers. However, the county government proposed turning trash collection and curbside recycling over to a single company, paid for with tax dollars.
But Pearcy advised the county to "spend more time and energy trying to develop more markets for recyclables instead of taking away our freedom."
By the end of the meeting, a show of hands revealed that only one resident supported the tax. The county commissioner was forced to concede: "I think it's pretty obvious that people want as little government in their lives as possible" -- and promised not to re-submit the plan.
