The following letter to the editor was published in The Beach Reporter newspaper (TBRnews.com) on Thursday, October 25, 2012 in the Letters section. The Beach Reporter has a strict 250-word limit.
No New Taxes
Please vote “yes” on Proposition 32 and “no” on all tax and bond measures, including 30 ($6 billion/year income and sales tax hike), 38 ($10 billion/year income tax hike), 39 ($1 billion/year tax hike); L.A. County Measure J (another 30 year sales tax hike), and El Camino Community College District Measure E ($350 million in new bond debt, probably costing about $700 million with interest).
Taxes are too high, and we also pay business taxes which are passed on to us as consumers. Bond measures create additional debt and require taxes to pay principle and interest. Bonds often cost double the amount borrowed with interest.
California, L.A. County, and local cities and school districts have a spending problem far more than a revenue problem. Approving more borrowing (bonds), tax increases and spending only encourages more of the same irresponsible and abusive government of, by, and for the government employee unions rather than the people.
We are repeatedly asked for more taxes and fees to pay for excessive and unsustainable government employee union salaries, raises, benefits, and pensions; to pay for the same things two or more times; and to pay for things promised but never delivered.
The tax increases will be used to pay for these through a financial shell game. Existing money that normally pays for operating and maintenance expenses specified in the tax and bond items will then be used to pay for the continued excessive employee union contracts and other waste (e.g., the unneeded over-budget “high” speed train).
Marianne Fong
El Segundo
El Segundo Police Officers' Association (ESPOA) Exposed