9 Days to Go

1/2 cent sales tax increase - Santa Clara County
Measure A - 9 days to go

Today's point is simple: "Fighting Over the Estate."

If a family member with many heirs dies without a will, who would get the $160,000.000 estate? Do you think there would be a fight?

Measure A is guaranteed to no one, so what county groups get the $160 million? Do you think there would be a fight?

We just had a nasty fight between the city of San Jose and the County of Santa Clara over who was to build a concert hall. A concert hall can generate revenue. The city and county were trying to fill their coffers and the taxpayer was the big loser having to eat the lawyer fees and construction delay costs. The city lost and had to pay $37 million to the county. City and county, like cousins, were fighting over money.

Now, can you imagine the infighting within the county departments when it comes to $160 million? And of course, the powerful lobbyists like the Silicon Valley Leadership Group will be exerting their power on the Board of Supervisors as well.

The liberal newspaper, San Jose Mercury News, says in their “Yes to half-cent sales tax increase” posted on the Yes for Measure A website, “…we expect that about half of the $150 million to $180 million a year will go toward transportation needs in the county and the rest to health and social service programs.”

 “We expect” has the same bite as a toothless gnome on a raw carrot!

Hold on a minute! The San Jose Mercury News "EXPECTS." Is this another special interest group that the Board of Supervisors has to appease?

The San Jose Mercury News (SJMN) endorsement goes on to say, “The independent campaign led by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group reflects that intent.” So the SVLG also expects the Board of Supervisors to split the tax increase between the valley health groups and the VTA.

We, the voters, did not elect the SJMN and SVLG to direct the Santa Clara Board of Directors!

 

All in all, the SJMN in their "Yes on A" article said the county overall managed money well.
 
When Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose got into a legal battle over building a concert hall at the fairgrounds, lawyers bank accounts swelled. Projected costs for the concert hall ballooned with delays incurred by the legal battle.

All the SJMN said was that the county pursued a "loopy idea."
 
Dear SJMN,
    The county and city lost taxpayer money with legal fees and delayed construction costs. And you give the county a pass by soft-peddling the wasted expenditures as a "loopy idea." It's a good thing that you are not the County Executive in charge of the Santa Clara County budget.
                            Yours truly,
                            A violated taxpayer

Did you know that the SJMN is one of the members of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group? Gees, do you think they might hurt themselves patting each other on the back?

There are 200 members in the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG). Per the SVLG website, “its members contribute more than $1 trillion to the global economy, an amount equal to the gross national product of Italy.”

One might say, “Then why doesn’t the SVLG provide a paltry $160 million to the county they reside in order to eliminate the deficit?” With 200 members, that’s less than a million dollars each.

Or would SVLG rather have the workers and taxpayers pay for SVLG's agenda?

The SVLG brags about contributing to the global economy equal to the gross national product of Italy, to which one irate taxpayer spouted, “Well bubb, charity begins at home.”

Another taxing issue, Proposition 82, wants to add extra taxes to wage earners that make over $400,000 a year to pay for preschool. (Just what we need, another year of school when the kids should be with parents, grandparents, or other family members).

If those that make more should pay more applies, then members of the SVLG should pay for the county's deficits. After all, they make so much more.

The supporters of Measure A are smart. They know that there are smart voters out there that would kill a 2/3 vote requirement, so they slipped in a 1/2 cent sales tax that only 1/2 of the people need to pass. Pretty slick, huh?

Measure A has an oversight committee, referred to here as the Eunuch Committee. The committee has no power. The members are castrated.

The eunuch watches over gorgeous women and can't do anything but watch. The Measure A Eunuch Committee watches money being spent and can't do anything either.

The Eunuch Committee can't stop the Board from spending. The Eunuch Committee can't retrieve misspent funds and put them back into the county's coffers.

 The Eunuch Committee might complain to the SJMN who might chastise the Board of Supervisors by saying they misspent again on a "loopy idea."

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You know, it's scary that we don't have faith in the Board of Supervisors. Think about it.... We have to establish an oversight committee because we do not trust the Board of Supervisors.

If we don't trust the Board of Supervisors with a 8.25%, sales tax,, then why are we giving the Board of Supervisors another 1/2 cent?

Or you could, as the San Jose Mercury News says, go for Measure A understanding that it "requires a bit of a leap of faith."  Are you willing to make that leap of faith and sign-up for a 30-YEAR bill?

Vote NO on Measure A

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P.S. Come back tomorrow.

"If Measure A funds are for public safety, would the county limit homeland security expenditures to pay for “Anger Management” classes?"