Judging by the number of people who bothered to sign the petition challenging the “Storm Water Runoff Tax,” Lewiston City Administrator Jim Bennett’s cartel won.

To guarantee victory, however, the cartel blocked the petition’s circulation outside City Hall. Nonetheless, our passivity deserves this double-taxation scheme for services that our taxes already finance. They may masquerade it under veils of legalese camouflage and call it whatever they want. Since property taxes never decrease in proportion, it remains nothing more than a double-taxation conspiracy.

When his machinations faced contention, Bennett immediately adopted a favorite political ruse, pouncing on the sacred cow of every community by threatening to cut thousands from school budgets. Reliant on people’s extreme gullibility, his ploy succeeded and opposition faded with the sunset. Recently, however, Bennett and company had no problem finding a $1 million surplus to subsidize a $500,000 bailout of the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

Plaudits are in order for this phenomenal feat in accounting wizardry.

With the backing of City Hall’s staunch supporter, the Lewiston Sun Journal (editorial, April 24, 2006), visualizing more creative taxation jewels stewing in Bennett’s cauldron is not difficult. Voter apathy solidified his storm water runoff experiment. It also forged limitless taxation possibilities.

When the hammer falls again, we have only ourselves to blame. Perhaps, next time, we might heed the words of Alexander Hamilton: “Those who stand for nothing, fall for anything.”

Roger R. Turcotte, Lewiston