If you want to start heated debate in Long Beach, utter any of the three words in the title of this post: Airport, Breakwater or salaries of government workers. All three are issues that are polarizing, issues everyone has an opinion on, and issues which will be part of our community for many, many years to come.
The Breakwater issue is currently down the list of public discussions, but those in the Surfrider Foundation and others who would like to see the Breakwater removed yesterday must be a little frustrated that government budgets and discussions on possibly privatizing the Long Beach Airport have usurped most of our public voice in recent weeks. Those who want the Breakwater to stay are probably welcoming the deflection of attention.
Last week we almost had a real brouhaha downtown after City Manager Pat West requested a closed session of the City Council to discuss possible options or offers for leasing the operations of the LGB (Long Beach Airport to those not up on baggage tags) to private companies. On the one hand were those appreciative of anyone in the city willing to look for additional revenue from new sources, on the other hand were those opposed to any discussion of any change at the airport. And in the middle were those who felt that any discussion of any matter should not be held in closed session, especially an issue that affects every council district but the 1st and 2nd with noise and air pollution.
For now, the open meeting advocates have won and it seems any future discussion by council on the matter will be held in public meetings—which means public input. Which means potential for a brouhaha, or at least a bit of a dust up. There are many voices already speaking up (shouting?) against privatizing our airport and they have the upper hand somewhat since we really do not know anything about any plans that have been put forth; hard to vocally support something without knowing how it will work—but that doesn’t stop some people from opposing something they do not know much about yet.
On the last of our seeds for local debate, government salaries, I have no doubt this issue will surpass all others in the very near future. With the estimate for the federal deficit for the coming year at $1 trillion (yes with a “t”) after the new spending proposals being battered around for a “stimulus” package; with the state budget facing a deficit over $40 billion announced in the next eighteen months, and the City of Long Beach facing a budget deficit of almost $20 million something needs to give in the budget process. There is no way these huge budget deficits can be fixed without addressing payrolls, salaries and benefits of government employees.
Government has the ability to tax its citizenry. We vote to elect representatives and in doing so give them the power to impose and collect taxes from us. The problem faced by government when they go to enact or raise taxes is if there is nothing to tax then their budgets balanced on those taxes are no longer balanced. A balanced budget has two components: spending and revenue. How much more revenue can the government expect to get from its citizenry before the citizenry says “enough” and either votes in new representatives and/or maneuvers their economics to avoid taxes?
Voters in Los Angeles County foolishly passed Measure R. The measure added a half-cent to the sales tax in the County—already one of the highest rates in the state—to “provide the local resources to finance new transportation projects and accelerate those already in the pipeline.” This according to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority website. This past week we learned not only why passing this tax was foolish, but why there is so much mistrust of government and its use of tax dollars; the MTA announced that despite the passage of Measure R which is to build “new transportation projects” and “accelerate” those already under construction—the opposite will occur. Those projects currently in progress will take decades longer to complete. What? We give you more money and you go slower?
Public transportation is one of the biggest wastes of public money. Look at the amount of money that is spent on public transportation in our city and region and look at the number of people who use public transportation. The whole system is subsidized from fares to infrastructure by taxpayers, the overwhelming majority of which do not use any public transportation, and the numbers using the systems do not change. Because it is one of the sacred cows of political correctness the theory of public transportation cannot be attacked, and just because it is a sacred cow it is incredibly inefficient with the use of tax dollars.
Having spent years watching my Dad take the train into the city for work, three years in high school riding public transportation to and from school, my friends homes and for socializing on weekends, I am very aware of the positives of public transportation. Unfortunately, in Southern California and in Long Beach the positives are not realized for the public as a whole and residents as a whole do not use it.
Look at the comments on the local websites and letters to the editor whenever Downtown or Pine Avenue is mentioned. Topping the list of complaints is “no parking” or that parking is too expensive. No one ever mentions the buses and Blue Line available to transport residents to downtown for a fun afternoon or evening and then a bus ride back home. We simply do not ride public transportation, but keep throwing millions and millions of dollars at the industry in hopes that some day we will change our attitudes and ridership will suddenly grow.
Like many other public institutions it is broken, the concept and the reality are far, far apart—not unusual for our public works and spending. But we will not address the issues, instead the electorate will keep voting to spend more and more money funding inefficient government.
On the three issues I have my opinions. On the Breakwater not a dime of public money spent to study the effects of removing or reconfiguring it; at least not until we discover a way to prevent waste from the LA River being dumped into our bay and even then I do not support local funds being used on the Breakwater. If the Surfriders or others want a study they can raise the money and pay for it. On the airport privatization, I would at least like to hear the plan before I denounce or support it; it is amazing what we can learn when we listen to those with whom we disagree—although more often than not it reinforces our own opinions. Finally on government salaries, we need to cut the size of government and that means cut the number of people collecting salaries, benefits and retirement from our tax dollars.
While the United States Unemployment Rate climbed last week to over 7% with huge losses in the past year in construction (632,000 jobs), manufacturing (almost 800,000 jobs), trade, transportation and utilities (over 800,000 jobs), with huge losses in all these sectors government added 188,000 jobs. Over 2.5 million Americans who want a job cannot find one, that is 2.5 million people not paying income taxes, and governments at all sectors increased the cost to the tax payers for salaries, benefits and pensions by 188,000 employees. They just don’t get it.
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