Dear Editor,
The news that the county fair is at risk will no doubt lead to a
campaign for the public to contribute directly to saving it.
Dear Editor,
The news that the county fair is at risk will no doubt lead to a campaign for the public to contribute directly to saving it. The county fair has deep roots in this community and is part of our agricultural culture and heritage. Unfortunately, this latest need is on top of causes to save San Benito High & middle school athletics and elementary & middle school music programs in the county. Many schools already hold substantial private fund raisers to pay for things needed to provide an adequate education and learning environment. On top of all of these are the potential closures of Fremont Peak and San Juan Bautista state parks. Do we not pay taxes to make sure these things are provided for? We surely do.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget includes increasing taxes with the threat of the cutting more funds from K-12 education if they do not go through. He has chosen his target carefully. As demonstrated by our community’s willingness to step up to the plate time after time to save our individual schools and programs, he going after what he knows is most near and dear to us by using the K-12 system as a hostage.
We should resist this tactic and ask the governor to take a look in other areas such as the California Air Resources Board’s budget at $652 million before cutting funds from education and state parks. Examine the California Water Resources Board’s budget of $794 million before taking more money out of the classroom. In fact, let’s question the entire $1.76 billion and the 4,702 positions in the California Environmental Protection Agency’s budget and why they are needed on top of the federal agencies that basically provide the same function. Even if the agency and its boards were not completely eliminated, let’s ask the governor to take a look at their true usefulness and efficiency. Are the pay & benefits packages and job security arrangements in line with the private sector or do they exceed it? This would be a quick study and I suggest that your readers would find that there are too many positions that are way out of line with the private sector.
California’s reputation of over regulation, irresponsible spending, rich pension plans and employment arrangements is well understood and deserved. It is time to for the public to become more aware of the true costs of too many years of irresponsible California state legislatures and pay attention to what is near & dear to us without using it as a tool to fund the very programs that cause businesses to leave, not expand, or not start in California. Reducing regulations and checking all state agencies for alignment with the private sector for both function and costs will lead to much more dollars being available for those things we actually need and enjoy. It may also lead to tax rate reductions and will have the additional benefit of creating a friendlier environment for private sector, tax paying jobs to be created in California.
Robert E. Bernosky, Hollister
