By Branden Bieber – October 21, 2022
It’s not Massachusetts 1773, but the fight for independence is ongoing. Our elected officials’ are void of accountability, and want to impose increased hardships on their neighbors with ongoing tax increases and welfare dependency. County officials claim their failures of deferred maintenance and lawlessness are the result of insufficient funding.
I argue that the County’s failed policies and lack of action are the main contributing factors in our aging infrastructure and local economic hardships.
For example, the County has increased the workforce at the Department of Health and Human Services by over 50 positions (+35%) over the past ten years. All other County Departments combined have increased by two employees (>1%). If the County had allocated a portion of these resources to the Sherriff’s Office, we would not be experiencing record-breaking poverty, substance abuse, crime, and homelessness.
Del Norte County might appear conservative on a red and blue polling map, but our Board of Supervisors are as liberal as any Board in the Unites States. They have created a welfare County where a quarter of our population live in poverty and the lack of career opportunities encourages Government dependence. This leaves a diminishing number of working families to pay for the County Salary compensation package of $33 million dollars in 2021.
It’s time citizens hold our local Government accountable. Similar to every household and business in the County, local Government’s should be living (spending) within their means. Receiving state and federal funding to promote a welfare County can no longer be consensual.
Our local Juvenile Hall is closing and if Newsom is re-elected, his ambitions to close Pelican Bay State Prison will become reality.
As evident by our beautiful surrounding, Del Norte County could be the most self-sustaining place in the World. There is potential, and reason for optimism at every turn of highway and every corner of sidewalk. Why place the cost of poor policy and Government inaction on struggling working families. Instead, hold Government accountably and Vote YES on T, Yes on U, and Brian Dahle for Governor. The future of Del Norte is dependent on our individual independence from Government.
