Another day, another plan to tax people to death when they can't pay their bills
It's barely three months before the election and our public servants are frantically looking for new ways to tax people who don't have money to buy gas or food or pay the rent.
Only one explanation can't account for the feeding frenzy: A landslide at the polls for Obama and the belief the new or infrequent voters will say yes to almost any tax even if they are all regressive taxes in nature and hit those with the lowest incomes hardest. Of course, if you believe that, you believe our public servants are cynical louts who really don't give a damn about the poor or working class and just want to feed the maw of inefficient and ineffective government.
In the Daily News, Troy Anderson reports County Supervisors are scurrying to emulate the City with a phone tax cut that actually is a phone tax increase. Nothing cynical in that, is there?
The proposal is to cut the current 5 percent tax by a tenth but extend the reach of the tax to text messaging, paging, telephone conferencing and other services which over time will add revenue to the county. It also would make the long pending lawsuit against the current phone tax, imposed without a public vote in 1991, irrelevant.
More people flocking to food banks, fewer giving, so why not raise
taxes?
Catching up with other local news media, the Times reports a lot of people are suffering hard times as jobs disappear and prices soar. Some food banks report demand up as much as 60 percent and that some of those in need we're making $70,000 a year not very long ago.
The headline tells you a lot about what's going on: Job losses have hit the San Fernando Valley particularly hard as the economic downturn spreads beyond the poor and begins to affect middle- and upper-class families.
What better reason could there be to raise taxes, fees and hikes to support City Hall in the wasteful style it regard as an entitlement.
Taxes rise, poverty soars and city officials keep on living like royalty
Like Bruno the Beast with a juicy bone, I can't let go of the theme of the day: Our local officials' utter disregard of the public interest, utter contempt for the lives of ordinary people as they continue to live like royalty on the people's money and pat themselves on the back for their compassion and decency.
Beth Barrett in the Daily News reported over the weekend on the abuse of city-supplied cars to elected officials and their staffs.
The kings of gas-guzzling SUV riding abusers are Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and Councilman Dennis Zine who burn $8,000 in taxpayer-paid gas a year.
"Three councilmen -- Tony Cardenas, Richard Alarcón and Jose Huizar -- drive new Toyota Highland Hybrids that get 26 mpg and are decked out with leather seats, moonroofs and CD/DVD systems," the story says.
Cardenas says he needs the giant vehicle and its $5,900 a year gas bill to haul rakes and shovels to weekend community cleanup events and was forced to take the luxury accessories package by the General Services Department.
Alarcon claims he needs the same vehicle because he might have to sleep in it in case there's another earthquake like the 1994 Northridge Quake.
In all, the city supplies about 1,400 vehicles -- not counting police, fire, harbor, airport and ports workers -- with the mayor's staff getting 13, the City Attorney's 10 and council members eight each for their staffs.
Not bad for the nation's highest paid municipal officials.
It's barely three months before the election and our public servants are frantically looking for new ways to tax people who don't have money to buy gas or food or pay the rent.
Only one explanation can't account for the feeding frenzy: A landslide at the polls for Obama and the belief the new or infrequent voters will say yes to almost any tax even if they are all regressive taxes in nature and hit those with the lowest incomes hardest. Of course, if you believe that, you believe our public servants are cynical louts who really don't give a damn about the poor or working class and just want to feed the maw of inefficient and ineffective government.
In the Daily News, Troy Anderson reports County Supervisors are scurrying to emulate the City with a phone tax cut that actually is a phone tax increase. Nothing cynical in that, is there?
The proposal is to cut the current 5 percent tax by a tenth but extend the reach of the tax to text messaging, paging, telephone conferencing and other services which over time will add revenue to the county. It also would make the long pending lawsuit against the current phone tax, imposed without a public vote in 1991, irrelevant.
More people flocking to food banks, fewer giving, so why not raise
taxes?
Catching up with other local news media, the Times reports a lot of people are suffering hard times as jobs disappear and prices soar. Some food banks report demand up as much as 60 percent and that some of those in need we're making $70,000 a year not very long ago.
The headline tells you a lot about what's going on: Job losses have hit the San Fernando Valley particularly hard as the economic downturn spreads beyond the poor and begins to affect middle- and upper-class families.
What better reason could there be to raise taxes, fees and hikes to support City Hall in the wasteful style it regard as an entitlement.
Taxes rise, poverty soars and city officials keep on living like royalty
Like Bruno the Beast with a juicy bone, I can't let go of the theme of the day: Our local officials' utter disregard of the public interest, utter contempt for the lives of ordinary people as they continue to live like royalty on the people's money and pat themselves on the back for their compassion and decency.
Beth Barrett in the Daily News reported over the weekend on the abuse of city-supplied cars to elected officials and their staffs.
The kings of gas-guzzling SUV riding abusers are Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and Councilman Dennis Zine who burn $8,000 in taxpayer-paid gas a year.
"Three councilmen -- Tony Cardenas, Richard Alarcón and Jose Huizar -- drive new Toyota Highland Hybrids that get 26 mpg and are decked out with leather seats, moonroofs and CD/DVD systems," the story says.
Cardenas says he needs the giant vehicle and its $5,900 a year gas bill to haul rakes and shovels to weekend community cleanup events and was forced to take the luxury accessories package by the General Services Department.
Alarcon claims he needs the same vehicle because he might have to sleep in it in case there's another earthquake like the 1994 Northridge Quake.
In all, the city supplies about 1,400 vehicles -- not counting police, fire, harbor, airport and ports workers -- with the mayor's staff getting 13, the City Attorney's 10 and council members eight each for their staffs.
Not bad for the nation's highest paid municipal officials.
Ron Kaye is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News where he spent 23 years helping to make the newspaper the voice of the San Fernando Valley and fighting for a city government that serves the people and not special interests.
Twice in recent years, Los Angeles Magazine listed Kaye among the city’s most influential people, specifically in the area of politics. Kaye has been variously described in the media as the “accidental anarchist,” “the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley” and a “passionate populist.” He is now committed to
carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen. Previously, Ron worked at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner,
Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Australian as well as papers
in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yakima, Wash. He also wrote for Newsweek magazine, The Guardian in London and the National Enquirer.
Ron, I've got one word for your observations about, and explanations for, City Hall's action: amen.
Okay, I've got a few others, too.
Villaraigosa and the City Council will take and take and take unless and until the day that we take one of them out of office. Appealing to them to do the right thing is futile. They will keep concocting these obscene schemes, and "gaming" voter turnout by the uninformed masses -- i.e., uninformed about local issues -- as long as they can.
If those of you reading this are serious about change, you have to take action. You can support my campaign to replace Villaraigosa as Mayor. And some of you out there should run -- or know someone who should run -- for the City Council positions up for grabs on March 3, 2009. Let's put together a slate for real change.
We don't have to agree on every little detail. Let's just agree these incumbent career politicians have to go. We can then discuss and debate policy changes based on honest efforts to improve the City, rather than sneaky schemes to rip-off middle-class taxpayers and give their money to developers, unions and gang cronies.
Walter Moore
Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles
http://WalterMooreForMayor.com
Plainly time for another DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
This city is now demonstrating socialism and its ultimate result. We are now "ruled" by a group of people who tell us how to live our lives and eventually by constantly raising our taxes in order to feed their own desires, will enslave us. Then they will tell us what they want us to do for them. An exaggeration? Ask the people who are now on public assistance. They can no longer pay their bills, are losing their homes. We are becoming a society of the very wealthy and the peons. No middle class. Gee, that is what they have in Mexico, isn't it? If the illegals had work in Mexico, they would not leave their families to risk their lives crossing the borders.
And the gall, we are being ignored!!! No attempt to change their ways!!!! They are comfortable. What is wrong with us? Just look at the propositions on the November ballot. More lies and tax increases carefully mixed in with about three people's issues. Would you believe $16,830,000,000 in new bonds to be paid by taxes forever, because of the interest plus capital borrowed?
That is our future, unless we wake up and get organized. And VOTE, not only in November but in all the elections in 2009 and beyond. Register to vote and make a difference.
Anyway, that is my opinion. Theodora Howell