As a resident and tax payer of Long Beach, I was very discouraged to read the Press Telegram Op-Ed by School Superintendent Steinhauser followed a few days later by a letter to the editor from Police Chief McDonnell in support of extending the temporary state taxes that are set to expire.
The temporary state taxes were sold to taxpayers as a solution to the state budget crisis. These temporary taxes did not solve the budget crisis. Extending these taxes will not solve the budget crisis either.
Superintendent Steinhauser claims that unless these taxes are extended, Long Beach will become Detroit. Long Beach may be on its way to becoming Detroit, but not for the reason Superintendent Steinhauser suggests. Property values in Long Beach have already been declining for quite some time. Detroit became Detroit due to excessive taxation, not a lack of taxation. The tax base in Detroit just packed their bags and moved. The same will happen to Long Beach and the rest of California if our leaders don’t learn to live on less just like the taxpayers have had to do and continue to do.
I look forward to a day when our public servants care as much about those paying the bills as they do about those benefitting from the payments.
Update: Letter to editor in Press Telegram
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2 comments:
I doubt that day will come until the People adopt a significantly different philosophical outlook on the role of government, where it is no longer a funnel for good programs and charity. Until then, public servants will flirt with economic catastrophe as they pursue their own best interests.
btw, it's great to read a post from you, David! I'm happy to bump "generic cialis" as the most recent comment. :-)
Hi Kevin,
I didn’t expect any comments. I wrote this as a letter to the editor of the Long Beach Press Telegram so I thought I might as well publish to my practically dead blog.
Superintendant Steinhauser’s son is one of my daughter’s teachers in Middle School. She isn’t very happy with me right now. : - ) Steinhauser is actually a very good superintendant. The schools my daughters have attended and their teachers have been excellent. Still, raising taxes won’t make the schools better or our area better. It really is time to cut taxes in order to make our area better.
My “recent comments” does not seem to be working. I’ll see if I can fix it.
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