By Samuel Strait – October 10, 2020
Most of those that think that a growing local government is a “good
thing” remain unmoved by the rate of inflation that this Country is
experiencing. 8.3% was I believe the last figure being reported. That
hardly represents the true nature of the matter when energy and food
remain outside of that number. In a recent graphic display of what the
cost for supplies at a bakery in New York City have risen over the last
eighteen months the 8.3% inflation rate is but a memory. Most products
used in the production of baked goods have risen by more than 50%.
While food and energy for the most part have crested the 8.3% margin
here in California by a substantially larger margin, those that are
resisting any sort of tax relief remain unmoved.
Even our State’s governor seems unwilling to address the matter in any
sort of functional way, blaming the rise in gasoline costs on “greedy
corporations”. This statement, of course, quickly came back to haunt
him when state regulation and taxes were shown, as one would explain it
to a child, to be the actual culprit. Yet here locally, the “State” is
not the only governing agency that is directly responsible for this
growing crisis. For some reason, not unlike the blindness exhibited by
our “empty suited” governor, local representatives also seem to have
exhibited the same disregard for those that they represent.
It is one thing to display the ignorance of the cost that rising taxes,
sales tax in particular, do to most things that are purchased, but to
pretend that the local population actually benefits from this legalized
theft in any meaningful way is the thinking of the mentally challenged.
While food may not be taxed directly, the sales tax increase does have
an effect on the over all cost of producing food, and transporting them
to your local grocery outlet. This cost is primarily found in the
increasing cost of energy which has increased sharply both in California
and here locally. Economics 101 will tell you that as the price of
diesel and gasoline go up, so does the amount of sales tax collected.
This is but one of the many ways that local sales tax increases
substantially harm your financial well being without the consumer even
realizing it.
In the initial arguments for Measures “S” and “R” we were told that
tourists would bear some of the costs, as well as those from Oregon, yet
no one bothered to explain that the transient population that flows
through Del Norte County hardly measure up to the cost to full time
residents, particularly those that exist with very slim margins of
financial well being. Energy to heat ones home, fuel ones form of
transportation is and always will be a significant portion of most
budgets and is heavily taxed at every level. The local population
should be aware of the fact that the increase in sales tax levied by the
City and the County makes those costs increase with every sale of
gasoline and diesel. A responsive government and those that support it
should recognize this issue and be inclined to shoulder the burden of
“doing with less” in order to shelter those it is meant to benefit. Not
so in Del Norte County, as we have a portion of the population that
seems bent on keeping taxes higher to fund largely unsubstantiated
claims that it was necessary to provide “essential services” for local
governments.
Most of the City’s efforts have mirrored the failed efforts by the local
Harbor District, to make Crescent City into a Destination Resort similar
to Santa Cruz, but does nothing to alleviate the crunch many local
residents are feeling in their wallets. The County, in the mean time,
has focused on enlarging County staffs, which only serve to highlight
the disconnect between perceived government problems and the public’s.
The combination of the economic fumbling’s by the National, State, and
now local governments have created a need for any sort of tax relief,
something the elite in this County have no patience for.
In November, Vote YES on Measures T and U for that tax relief that local
government appears unwilling to grant. Reduce the Sales tax by 1% with
a YES vote on Measures T and U.
Thank you Crescent City Times, for explaining T & U, city and county employees yes it must be hard to survive on $9,500 plus a month, why should residents pay more taxes? Like I said once before a penny here a penny there adds up and yet these employees don’t give a you know what.
THE CITY AND COUNTY ARE USING CONTENTION TACTICS TO CONFUSE THE PUBLIC.
I AM NOT GOING YO TELL YOU HOW TO VOTE.
IT IS SIMPLE
A YES VOTE REPEALS THE SALES TAX.
A NO VOTE ON T OR U ALLOWS CITY AND COUNTY TO KEEP ON CHARGING SALES TAX INDEFINITELY.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS CHARGING AN ADDITIONAL TAX ON EACH HOME THAT RESIDES IN DISTRICTS 2, 4, AND 5. AND THE CITY AND COUNTY ALSO PAYS THEM.
THE SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT RECEIVED $3.2 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE STATE. THE STREETS ARE SELF EXPLANATORY .
Good grief. Filling out my ballot and Measure U wording seems to be campaigning for a “NO” vote. It states: eliminating the tax approved by voters in 2020 (surprised they put that in there). . . “thereby reducing funding available for general county services SUCH AS street maintenance/repair, code enforcement, law enforcement and emergency response, and other services, be adopted?” Again I see nowhere does it say it was used for pay raises, which were generously handed out. Now I read with all this Measure R money they might have to close the Juvenile Detention Facility. The Animal Control Facility is getting by with volunteers. Where in the heck did all this Measure R money go?
I’m so disappointed in County Clerk, Alissia Northrup. She assured me that she made it clear the distinction between a YES or NO vote on repealing sales tax. Instead, the way she worded it made it seem like she’s campaigning for NO votes on T & U. I call this DISHONEST Government. Nowhere in her description does it include raising wages and benefits, and hiring more people DURING A RECESSION AND IN TIMES OF INFLATION WHEN ANY SMART GOVERNMENT WOULD PUT IN A HIRING AND WAGE FREEZE.
DISHONEST GOVERNMENT!
Where do you think the sales tax money goes?
Answer: It goes into the General Fund.
What gets paid out of the General Fund?
Wages and Benefits.
Why in the world would our government want to create a two tier society?
Instead they have a sales tax that never ends until we end it at the ballot box.
Vote YES on T & U! The County has plenty of money with a budget approaching $200,000,000. That’s two hundred million dollars.
The city has 23 miles of roads that they “maintain” except that for the 15 years I’ve lived here, I rarely see them maintaining the roads.
Same thing with the streetlights. Years ago we had to shame them into maintaining the street lights by running a contest on how many lights were out . They supposedly “maintain” 800 street lights. But, instead they pour millions into the pool which is hardly used and neglect many of the things they are supposedly paid to maintain.
Does this make sense?
Not to me.
2nd thought not surprised “tax approved by voters” put in there. Maybe she benefited from a pay raise also. According to Transparency California she gets a healthy raise every year anyway, e.g., in 2021 Regular Pay $112,949; 2020 $109,679; 2019 $102937; etc. And she’s not the highest paid county employee. Must be hard getting by on $9500 a month in Del Norte in 2021. I didn’t include Benefits, Other Pay & Pension. Not picking on her, just an example of what these poor county employees have to survive on.