The Snake Oil Scam!

Every once in a whilew we see something on our Facebook page worth sharing here.  One of the best we have read:

As proponents of the new college taxing district have faltered in their erroneous attempts to convince Bonneville County voters of the need for a Community College in the face of dropping enrollment state-wide in brick and mortar institutions and a growing realization of the plethora of less expensive options currently available, they have begun to focus their attention on promises of economic growth.

In the slick hypnotic cadence of the snake oil salesman, they promise jaw-dropping returns on the investment. Beyond the tried and true shell-game of the politician’s insistence that taxing Jim to pay Bob is a net gain, we are told that the college will be a veritable tsunami of a tide by which to raise all ships.

When I am told to invest and promised a return that defies commonsense I tend to insist on some sort of verification, and what better way than to analyze the economy of our neighbors to the south. Twin Falls has been home to the College of Southern Idaho since 1964, and as such provides a demographically and economically viable case study from which to analyze the empty promises of economic boom waiting just behind the ballot box.

Having had over half a decade for the great economic promise of a community college to work it’s magic, according to DataUSA, the average annual income in Twin Falls comes in at $41, 927. So it’s somewhat surprising to learn that the average income for the grossly deprived Idaho Falls resident comes in at $44,580.

I think I’ll stick with aspirin for what ails me, and send the snake oil salesman on down the road.