Here’s a summary of conclusions from COG’s Policy Workshop for COG’s directors:
n Don’t question bad advice from COG to local elected leaders. Follow VTA and TMAC and blind yourselves to private-sector solutions. Protect vested interests of MPO’s managers and employees regardless of the costs. Burden motorists and taxpayers with funding the wastefulness.
Here’s my reality check for local leaders:
You don’t need a bridge to collapse on your heads to see that COG’s a failed experiment, that following TAMC and VTA is taking SBC down the road to hell.
Emperor Transit First is naked, but COG is told to increase the wastefulness.
TAMC, VTA and COG think that no tax is too great, no fee is too high, the financial burden on taxpayers is never enough, just to keep blood pumping into the insolvent transit agencies.
A tax-and-spend deficit spending policy is unsound and unsustainable, bankrupting taxpayers and destroying business.
Competing with the private sector violates federal law, destroys small businesses, increases bankruptcies and retards economic development.
Unremunerative fares violate the Unfair Business Practices Act, screw taxpayers to appease 0.004 of SBC’s annual trips, contravening the 0.996 of SBC’s people measured by their choice of travel.
Fiscal irresponsibility ensures that future disabled and disadvantaged citizens will have no transport services, just as we see in the former USSR today.
The funding formula punishes self-sufficient motorists, who we should be encouraging, not treating like cigarette smokers.
COG’s funding of transit shoots itself in the foot by diverting 99 percent of transit capital and operating funds from motorists and taxpayers.
Running 98.6 percent empty bus seats then calling transit a “success” equals blatant, base hypocrisy. Refusing to produce honest financial statements confirms COG’s arrogance and verifies its gross mismanagement. Axle weight is the single largest factor in road surface and bridge support deterioration, so why don’t we plan to divert tonnage off our highways and onto the railroads?
Falsifying performance audits justifies abolishing COG.
Making housing less affordable by imposing unnecessary traffic impact fees is making our county unlivable.
Pretending a Grand Jury indictment never happened is arrogance demanding abolishment of COG.
Ignoring citizen requests about COG abusing taxpayers is a violation of statutory law and taints COG’s directors with conspiracy to defraud and mislead the voters.
Delaying highway projects like the bypass while throwing money away on transit and bike paths intentionally thwarts motorists “unmet needs” – making intentional congestion on highways.
Refusing to make highway safety SBC’s No. 1 transport priority violates the will of the people of our county.
Joe Thompson, Tres Pinos
