| Aside from that, about the UUT, well you know |
Pacifica Riptide/Ape shall not kill ape, 8/14/13. "Utility Users Tax: "What's not to like."
Article link courtesy of Pacifica Riptide, John Maybury, Editor and Publisher.
Request to post from Jim Wagner.
Request to post from Jim Wagner.
Note: photograph from Forum Garden.com.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
41 comments:
This "Ape Shall Not Kill Ape" writer gets my vote for man/woman of the year. Apparently impervious to the official "re-education" program. Clear thinker who knows right from wrong. Glad Wagner re-posted it.
Maybury nailed it with this column.
Point by point he takes apart this poorly thought out tax grab that hurts the poor and treats those over 62 like they're clueless and don't realize that they are being used. What about they're kids, friends, friends kids, they're kids kids? They all get slammed with this tax.
He didn't write it.
Beneath the Planet of the Apes? Maybe a little Animal Farm, too. It's the perfect quote for this council's UUT con job. politicians should be required to have it tattooed on their foreheads.
Yes, I agree that the Tribune has not published material which would benefit our community, if only for discussion purposes.
I have sent the editor a couple of letters concerning the Grand Jury's evaluation of the outsourcing of police to the Sheriff's Dept. and have not been able to get it published.
Here it is.
http://pacifica.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/grand-jury-commends-sheriffs-office-contracting_6e0ade31
Thanks,
H. Gutierrez
Sounds like Mayburrito is taxed enough already.
Humberto,
The Tribune has a policy of publishing any letter that is not libelous. If your letter didn't get in it probably wasn't received. They often don't get my emails for whatever reason, so I always follow up with a phone call to make sure they got it.
I just want to say that wasn't me.
But coincidentally I too did send in a letter to the editor on that vey subject today.
We'll see if it gets in next week.
I was told by the Trib that the Grand Jury report on outsourcing was not relevant to Pacifica. I couldn't disagree more. This has been a major topic for about 2 years. That fact that the GJ found outsourcing to be a complete success in 3 other cities is absolutely relevant to Pacifica.
I hope the Trib prints my letter and does a news piece too.
Or maybe Elaine, didn't have room for your letter that week.
"Ape shall not kill Ape" piece should be required reading for all voters in the up-coming election. Any City that can spend close to $50,000.00 of taxpayers money on a tax measure needs new leadership not more taxes.
That's fifty thousand on consultants and flyers
The rate may stay the same but the tax bill goes up by 60% or more.
This tax will cost families $1600 or more over the life of this measure and there's no guarantee where the money will go.
They've got there hands in your pocket grabbing your family jewels to support their bad habit.
I have not met one regular citizen who is in favor of this albatross.
The supporters of the UUT say that there will be citizen oversight of these tax revenues. How? Once this money goes into the general fund there is no way to tell which dollar came from the UUT and which comes from sales tax,property tax,or any of the many other revenue sources the City has.
It is a meaningless claim meant to trick the votes into thinking that the money will really go to protected services.
The City has over promised what this tax can do. Remember the Fire tax. Different name same result.
Overpromises and under-delivers. That's a nice way to put it, if we are reluctant to just say the City lies. And then they rely on the politician's best friend, the passage of time, to dim our memories and hide their "mistakes".
Oversight? That's a laugh! They use the word without making clear that it happens after the fact, ie, after the money is spent, and legally can be nothing more than a review of whatever documents the City deems suitable for the glazed eyes of some hand-picked nodding ninnies.
In a normal election year, I'd say this mUTT of a measure would have no chance, but we've got a couple schemers on council who know how to play it. Their initial expenditures to hire a consultant to help them pass this thing were made in secret. They've spent additional public funds on the scam. I don't care that these councilmembers want only the best for this town...their methods stink. To now hear their apologists try to explain the mis-steps by saying they simply lack "political savvy" is ludicrous. That seem to lack something much more important.
Vote no and tell all your friends to vote no. The best and perhaps only way to beat this mUTT is to get the vote out so the turnout isn't just those who usually vote in off-year elections. If this passes they'll be back soon for our CATV! That big money is just too tempting.
The voters need to be reminded that Telecommunications equals their Cell phones.
Local businesses need to remember that even with a $500 yearly cap they will pay hundreds more in taxes for their phone services.
We all need to remember that the City already gets franchise fees from the Cell phone providers plus lease fees for Cell towers on public land. Costs that are passed on to each and every customer.
Oh, I almost forgot a part of the State sale tax on our phone bills also comes back to the City.
With no Cap on their combined UUT [PG&E + Telecommunications]some taxpayers will pay more then Safeway which is cap at $500 a year.
We also should protest President Obama tax on all cell phones to fund internet in all schools.
So the council never appointed a UUT task force, so who came up with this idea?
Was it the Financing City Services Task Force?
Who is on this?
Some of Pacifica's biggest pundit's seem to be good at Monday Morning Armchair quarterbacking.
Put up or shut up. Run.
The world already has a Cheney and Rove and as we all have seen, they did enough damage in the world.
We already have a Cheney and Rove. The ones that orchestrated this stealth tax.
1203 Welcome to America, where the choices are not limited to shut up or run.
@857 I think FCSTF did suggest a tax measure a couple years agao and council rejected it at that time. As far as I recall FCSTF didn't specify what kind of tax measure. I believe the council sub-committee of Stone and Nihart was credited with having fine-tuned the idea into this UUT amendment. Lots of cities have tinkered with them recently. Big business for the consultant class. They probably make marketing calls to cities that are likely candidates.
1203 Pundits? Sounds almost frivolous, something for the polo-playing set. Try longtime, fed-up Pacifica taxpayers with every right to criticize elected public officials, their actions and policies in any forum and in any manner appropriate to that forum.
12:23
It was Mary Ann & Lennie.
The FCSTF wanted a sales tax but Len and Mary Ann shot it down.I think the decision to keep a tax off the ballot might have had something to do with the fact that Mary Ann was running for re-election.
110 Well, duh. Seriously, I'm opposed to the measure and the way these two brought it forward, but who else would recognize the potential in a UUT measure? The potential for steady income that council can spend any way it wants and the proven potential to add on later. The popularity of these measures with other city governments, the high pass rate of these measures, and the specialized and already familiar consultants made it perfect. Like it or not, these two are proactive. That doesn't mean we have to buy what they're selling or anything else. Back to the drawing board, you two.
1:41
Mary Ann, also buried the police outsourcing report from the public. Denied they had a report being it was an election year.
Time to vote her out also.
vote them out.
Tom
Are you going to run or City Council again?
The truth is I don't know.
Right now I am more concern about making sure that the taxpayers don't get taken to the cleaners again.
Remember how mad city council was when the sales tax increase failed? Julie, was beat red abd ready to explode.
This will be 100 times worse.
Tom@141 I believe you're right. Unless they're leading the opposition against a tax measure, no politician wants their name on the same ballot with a tax measure. Ms. Nihart is definitely a politician, seems well-mentored, and, to my knowledge, is not opposed to more taxes. Of course something as controversial as police outsourcing is political kryptonite in a town like Pacifica. It had to be buried. Maybe it can be exhumed when things get desperate enough. Heroically, no doubt.
I still believe it was the UUT commission / Budget Task Force who pushed this stupid tax on council. Not the other way around. This is the first pro economy council we've had in 20+ years. Be careful you don't throw the baby out...
Does anyone remember who taught Mary Ann, the tricks of the political trade?
She was Vreelands, campaign manager.
Pro-economy council? Please. Who's not pro-economy? That phrase is a joke. It's the slogan du jour for the current crop of politicians. These are tax and spenders all the way and in post-recession Pacifica what would you expect? Seriously, what else would you expect? The moving party re UUT is the council sub-committee of Nihart and Stone. Here again, what would you expect? There are no "babies in the bathwater" in Pacifica. This is just the latest city council going through the short list of unpleasant options left to this town. No great new ideas, no miracles, no last minute saves. Completely predictable. Vote for it, don't vote for it, but take your blinders off. How could anyone possibly expect anything else from this city council?
I think the differences between Ms. Nihart and Mr. Vreeland before his collapse, are completely in the eye of the beholder.
Watch the sewer tax after they dump another 50 million dollars into the poop plant.
all fees up
hey, pro-tax fundraiser sat aug. 24at susan vellone's spa in park mall center. Bring your checkbook to fund a campaign to cost you all more money. See you there! Free eats!
12:52
She can kiss her chances of being on city council good bye.
Another tax & spender.
Oh as if. You think she enjoyed that campaign in 2012? Not one of those natural politicians. Even more to her credit, she's still trying to help the community which is what she's very good at. Lots of overlap between community groups and this UUT thing. They needed a site for the event and she's known to have one.
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