Pet peeves of mine include advertisements that come in envelopes
designed to look like official government correspondence. Why would
you trust anyone who wants to start a business relationship by
running a con job?
Pet peeves of mine include advertisements that come in envelopes designed to look like official government correspondence. Why would you trust anyone who wants to start a business relationship by running a con job?
The other day my wife received the political equivalent of the fake government envelope in the form of a so-called “INDEPENDENT VOTER GUIDE” mailer. The title was in big blue block letters – all caps. The mailer wasn’t independent and it wasn’t a guide; it was nothing but a paid advertisement.
That revelation was contained in small, skinny, black letters under the address, “Appearance is paid for and authorized by each candidate and ballot measure designated by an *.” The publisher, Voter Guide Slate Cards, will put you on their various voter guides for a fee – they are, essentially, a business with no party or philosophical affiliation and no interest in who wins other than a money interest.
If you check their filing with the California Secretary of State, you’d see that between March 18 and May 22, 2010 the publisher took in nearly $350,000 from more than 110 politicians and political organizations and spent about $73,000. You may wonder how they can possibly print mailers claiming to be voter guides for so many paying clients – the answer is another political business segment that deals with data.
Using public records and other sources, these firms will sell you any information you want about the voters. Want to know how many ethnic Chinese senior citizens with family incomes above $95,000 live in your district; just ask them. The money-oiled machinery will kick out the data. The electronic file can then go to a printing firm who will print you out a “Voter Guide for Senior Chinese Middle-Income Voters” and mail it just those families.
The bottom line is that these paid advertisements may not be legal frauds because they contain the required disclaimers, but they are intellectual frauds. They are worthless to you as a voter.
Tow-truck scam correction and thanks
A letter to the editor from Fairfield corporate attorney Greg Adler, disagreed with my criticism of the Santa Clara D.A. for the plea agreements in the Greer towing-scam case. Mr. Adler also pointed out in an email that, “No contest pleas CAN be used in civil cases if the charges were punishable as felonies, as was the case with Mr. Greer …”
I checked this with the prosecuting DA, and Mr. Adler is correct. The information I downloaded from the Superior Court was incomplete. Unfortunately, the court’s website did not mention that exception; nor did it come up when I discussed the issue to the court’s record section. I stand corrected.
Since that element was one of my major objections to the plea bargain, I am willing to modify my position on the plea and give the Santa Clara DA’s office more credit. I’d still like to see enhanced sentences for those who dupe the legal system into furthering their criminal activities, but that would be up to the Legislature and court.
So, thanks to Deputy D.A. Dale Lohman for following through on this difficult case, but most of all the community owes a big thanks to Mr. Greg Adler who, on his own time and at his own expense, worked so hard to see that justice prevailed. If you ever doubt that one person can make a difference just read Mr. Adler’s letter again. You can do it, but you have to be tenacious. The county should recognize his important contribution to justice when this case is complete.
Marty Richman is a Hollister resident.
