Thursday, October 17, 2013

Letter to the Editor - Vote No on V



Despite the City Councils good intentions, I believe that their moral compass slipped when they became willing to tax necessities.

No Government should be willing to tax the basic needs of the people, but our Council, building on the errors of the past, is doing just that.

The original UUT that the proposed phone tax is based on is a tax on gas and electric use in Pacifica.
So every time you cook a meal, light a dark room, take a hot shower, refrigerate your food or heat your home, you pay The City of Pacifica.

Now they want to tax what you say: Call your doctor, Taxed. Check on your children, Taxed. Tell your loved ones you miss them, Taxed. Call for help, Taxed. Stay connected to your friends and family, Taxed.  Take a phone interview for a job, Taxed.

As a Vietnam Veteran, I fought for our rights.  This tax is an attack on our most basic right, the freedom of speech.     

MY WORDS ARE MINE TO SHARE NOT YOURS TO TAX

NO ON MEASURE V

Next year we should repeal the PG&E tax.

Tom Clifford

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

$14,500 Yes on V special interest $$ dump wed! Mostly union donations from out of town

Anonymous said...

513 Not a surprise. Unions love tax measures almost as much as they love the politicians who front them. Measure V started in the dirt at City Hall. Let's bury it there!

Anonymous said...

Where's the yes side spending all this money? Consultants? Phone banks? All I see around town are signs, banners and flyers for the no side, online too.
Somebody's pocketing a whole bunch.

Anonymous said...

Dream on. Probably planning a last minute push just in case the No side has managed to get more voters out than the projected low turnout numbers. Public safety always sells. Maybe an appeal from the PRC? Meals on Wheels? Prepare to have your heart-strings yanked.

Anonymous said...

too little too late for the yes on V rubes to catch up now. 70% of people are against this thing and it's growing everyday. Nobody likes taxes.

Empty Pockets Eddie said...

You can follow the money right to a payday!If you had any doubt where the money was going from the money grab that should gone. Straight to salarys. Blatantly in your face.

Anonymous said...

How can the City officials accept donations from the Unions and continue to say this money will not be used for wage increases? Sounds like a conflict of interest to me, a really big one!

Anonymous said...

711/1126 This is nothing new. Virtually all tax measures and tax friendly candidates for office receive union donations and endorsements. Donations for those expensive campaigns and union endorsements that translate to union votes on election day. I'm sure these things are given with absolutely no expectation of a return on investment. Aren't you sure?

Anonymous said...

1015 70%? Where'd you get that number. I buy that no one likes taxes, but where did you get that number? And are you helping or hurting the No on V side?

Anonymous said...

I just had an interesting conversation with one of the chamber of commerce insiders. It seems that Mike O’Neil and the chambers honeymoon may be over and that some members are already looking for a new candidate to indorse in 2014. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

Too bad. Mike hasn't fully succumbed to that brain-sharing disorder this council suffers from. Had hope for him to maintain some independence. Will the Chamber be dumping any of their other terrific finds?

Wagner said...

Anon, 2:09, I call bullshit!
No such thing is going on.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 10:15om said...
"too little too late for the yes on V rubes to catch up now. 70% of people are against this thing and it's growing everyday. Nobody likes taxes."

Where are your numbers from? See very little public support for No on V Campaign. A small group of people posting signs and blogging doesn't = community support. True though, nobody likes taxes. Majority of people though do love Pacifica and want to do what is right to support where they live.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 11:26am said
"How can the City officials accept donations from the Unions and continue to say this money will not be used for wage increases? Sounds like a conflict of interest to me, a really big one!"

They campaign isn't being run by the city. It's an independent group of community-minded citizens, complying with all requirements of the Fair Political Practices Commission.

Anonymous said...

Tom, Often your points are well thought out, however... attacking your freedom of speech? Don't recall telephones being in existence when our founding fathers put things together.

Anonymous said...

looks like Yes on V is in the house. Propagandist present!

Anonymous said...

359 Might I direct your attention to a Bay Guardian article featured now over on Riptide? Discusses the role of these groups of concerned citizens, friends, etc. and how they influence and are rewarded by the politicians whose agendas they advance. Often referred to as "back scratching".

Anonymous said...

356 I don't think you're getting our moneys worth out of those consultants if the best you can come up with is "if you loved Pacifica, you'd pony up". Teen age boys don't even use their version of that line anymore.

Tom Clifford said...

Anonymous 4:44 there are a lot of things our founding fathers did not envision but the idea that a person could communicate freely without the government getting involved in said communications is the bases of the first amendment. Taxing a device that allows us to communicate is economic censorship an a direct attack on our freedom of speech.

Anonymous said...

Tom Clifford said...
"Anonymous 4:44 there are a lot of things our founding fathers did not envision but the idea that a person could communicate freely without the government getting involved in said communications is the bases of the first amendment. Taxing a device that allows us to communicate is economic censorship an a direct attack on our freedom of speech."

This is really a stretch Tom.

Hutch said...

356 "a small group of people"

We have 100 members of our group on Facebook now. Why don't you join us? www.facebook.com/groups/DefeatPhoneTax

Anonymous said...

Taxing the people of Pacifica further into oblivion will not solve any of the cities financial problems. I challenge the Pacifica city council to publish the cities accounting records in the Tribune, so we can all see exactly where the money is being spent. I have lived in Pacifica for more than 40 years, but I'm getting sick of forking over more and more money to these micro financiers and getting nothing in return. I will be voting NO in November.

Anonymous said...

Here's the proposed city budget. Read it and weep. They have wasted millions on consultants.

www.cityofpacifica.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=5715

Anonymous said...

Yeah, they even hired a consultant to help them better communicate to us worker bees about all the other consultants. Who says politicians don't have a sense of humor?

Hutch said...

Pacifica is #145 out of 485 cities in the State for highest average city employee wages ($57,074).

http://publicpay.ca.gov/Reports/Cities/Cities.aspx#P86c3049235604972afc0e3f2f80ae256_10_36iT0

Anonymous said...

ANON 3:56 said "See very little public support for No on V Campaign. A small group of people posting signs and blogging doesn't = community support. True though, nobody likes taxes. Majority of people though do love Pacifica and want to do what is right to support where they live."


BAAAAWP wrong answer

Anonymous said...

1042 This time. A smarter council would have seen and understood what happened to that last tax measure and softened up the voters first by making some draconian cuts. A little blood-letting among the sentimental favs. And, get that payroll down instead of continuing upward. Just a little would do. Demonstrate sacrifice, win trust, and disarm the opposition. And for God's sake knock off the consultants. Then bring up a tax, but make it a sales tax so visitors can pay, too. Promise to re-instate those sentimental favorites. It worked for the Governor. It could work here and even if it doesn't, we're addressing the problem.